


Innocence, Adversity and Hope

by dS_Tiff, Vic32



Category: due South
Genre: Case Fic, Family, Implied or Off-stage Rape/Non-con, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-20
Updated: 2013-06-20
Packaged: 2017-12-15 09:40:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 50,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/848048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dS_Tiff/pseuds/dS_Tiff, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vic32/pseuds/Vic32
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ray Vecchio's niece finds herself in desperate trouble, she turns to the only people she knows she can trust.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Vic32:
> 
> We don't own these guys just looking after them for a tiny bit.
> 
> A co-written story with my friend and beta dS_Tiff, we hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it.
> 
> dS_Tiff:
> 
> I was delighted when Vic32 asked me to help her write this story as her idea was so good. I usually write Gen stories, but this isn't my story, it belongs to Vic32! (It can easily be read as Gen if, like me, that's your preference.) Enjoy!

Maria was in the kitchen making a snack ready for when her children got home from school. She buttered the bread and made sandwiches. Glancing up at the clock she smiled, Rosa and Michael would be home any minute now. Little Tony was already home from Kindergarten and he was having a nap right now. Maria loved this time of day, just her and her kids in the kitchen. It was their time together, before her brother Ray, or her sister Francesca came home from work and her Ma usually stayed out of her way at this time of the afternoon too. Maria loved that they all lived with her Ma in the old family home and despite the regular Vecchio family arguments with her siblings, she wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else. 

Just as she was putting the sandwiches on plates, Rosa and Michael came in chattering away and laughing. Maria was looking forward to all the stories of what had happened that day at school. Michael was telling his sister a joke that he had heard on the bus coming home. 

“It’s not funny!” Rosa groaned.

“Yes it is, it’s because it’s so not funny that it’s funny,” replied Michael.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“It’s a joke, it’s not meant to make sense.”

Maria rolled her eyes. She was probably going to hear an awful joke any minute now. Smiling at her children, she spoke. “Rosa, Michael, welcome home,” she glanced at Michael mischievously, “and what are you two laughing at?”

Taking off his backpack and hanging up his coat, Michael answered while still giggling, “Mama, you have to hear this joke. Why was the chicken so angry?”

Grinning at her son she replied, “I don’t know, why was the chicken so angry?”

Laughing harder he told her the punchline, “Because everyone keeps asking why he want to cross the road!”

Laughing out loud now, his mother patted him on the back, “That is very funny.”

“See? I told you!” Michael retorted to Rosa.

“She has to laugh at your jokes,” Rosa said, laughing herself. “She’s your mother!”

Michael stuck his tongue out.

“Stop that,” Maria said sternly, hoping she wouldn’t laugh again. If she did there’d never be an end to Michael’s mischief. “So you two, did you have a good day at school?”

Having washed their hands they sat down for their snack and it was Rosa who answered her mother. “Oh yes. Mama, I had a great day. Brianne was back at school today, she’s over her ear infection.”

“Oh how is her family getting on?” enquired Maria. Brianne’s family had been homeless and living in a shelter up until a few months ago. Rosa met Brianne while buying her lunch for school and her heart went out to the other girl because she didn't have any money to buy food, so Rosa, being Rosa, used her pocket money to buy her meals so she would have something to eat. She’d told her art teacher, Mr Archer, about Brianne’s family one day and he’d helped Rosa to find them a permanent home and even found Brianne’s father a job working as a caretaker.  
“They’re doing fine Mama,” smiled Rosa. “Brianne’s Ma is due to have her baby any day now, she’s so excited!”  
Maria was so proud of her daughter for what she’d done for that family. Maybe spending all that time around her ‘uncle’ Benton had rubbed off on her, the Mountie had that effect on people. “Well tell her if she needs any baby clothes I have a huge pile she’s welcome to,” smiled Maria.  
“I will,” nodded Rosa. “Oh do you remember Jenny from the animal sanctuary?”

Maria nodded. She liked Jenny, but she hoped she hadn’t got Rosa roped into another fundraising activity. It was good for Rosa to volunteer up there she liked playing with the animals, but if Maria had to bake another thousand cookies for charity she might scream.

“Well, the school are letting her come to do a talk about the sanctuary and I’ll get to help her with the presentation about the dogs.” Rosa paused for a moment with her sandwich halfway between the plate and her mouth. “Oh, I know! Do we still have those photos from Christmas? You remember, when all those poor puppies came in on Boxing Day because nobody wanted their Christmas present?”

“Yes, Rosa.” Maria smiled warmly at her daughter. Sometimes it got tiring keeping up with her enthusiasms, but she was very proud of her little girl for caring so much.

“Thanks Mama.” Rosa took a big bite out of her sandwich.

Maria looked then at Michael, already helping himself to seconds. “Sounds like Rosa had a fun day. What about you Michael?”

Chewing on his sandwich Michael spoke after swallowing, “We got to pick a sport today. I want to do hockey, but I need you to sign the permission slips first.” He looked at her pleadingly, then looked away. They’d had the ‘Hockey Conversation’ before. “Um, if not then I guess I’ll do soccer, or something.”

Maria sighed. He was getting to be a big boy, and she couldn’t baby him forever and besides, he really did love hockey. “OK,” she answered. “We can talk to your Dad about it. If it’s OK with him, it’s OK with me, if it’s something you really want to do.”

Michael's face lit up and he spoke in a cheerful voice, “Really Mama? Thank you. I’ll need some hockey skates.”

What had she let herself in for? Maria shook her head. Well, at least Michael was happy.

Rosa then interrupted her thoughts, remembering something she needed to ask. “Oh Mama, I got an invitation to Caoimhe's sleepover birthday party on Friday. Can I go?” She put her hands together and looked prettily at her mother. “Please?”

Maria frowned. She might agree to ice hockey with teachers supervising, but she wasn’t so sure about her thirteen year old daughter sleeping over at someone else’s house. Rosa had been on sleepovers before, of course, but only with people Maria knew well. She didn’t know the Murphys very well, they only lived across the street from the Vecchio house, but they hadn’t been in the neighbourhood long and she’d already decided that she didn’t like Mrs Murphy. The woman walked around with her nose up in the air, like she thought she was better than everyone else. Just off the boat Irish, as Maria’s Ma called her and it was obvious she didn’t like Italians.

“Please, Mama?” Rosa started to look anxious. “Caoimhe’s my best friend, and I have her parents’ number on the invitation if you want to check it out first.” Rosa held out the piece of paper.

Well, Caoimhe was a lovely girl, even if her mother was a dragon. It would be a shame to disappoint Rosa. Taking the invitation from her daughter, Maria answered, “I’ll have to think about it. I’ll call Mrs Murphy tonight, OK? Then we’ll see what’s what.”

Clearing the table Rosa gave her Mama a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said, as though Maria had already agreed, “and thank you for the snack. I’ll just go and do my homework. Come on Mickey and I’ll help you with yours.”

“Do we have to?” Michael groaned.

“If we get it out of the way now we don’t have to do it later,” Rosa pointed out. Well, it was obvious which one of her children was the sensible one, Maria thought to herself.

Maria watched as Rosa and Michael went to do their homework. Little Tony had woken from his nap, and was playing happily with his toy cars. He picked up the Riv that her brother had bought him and crashed against a toy truck. Maria laughed. Ray’s bad luck with his cars was so famous that even little Tony knew about it. She smiled at her youngest, who started singing to himself, a happy little tune that only he knew the words to. She felt like the luckiest mother in the world.

xXx

That evening, after Tony got home, Maria phoned Mrs Murphy. "You will be supervising this party, won’t you?"

Mrs Murphy sounded instantly defensive. “Of course!" she snapped.

"OK, OK!" Maria tried to keep the irritation from her voice…and failed. "I just had to ask."

"I know." Mrs Murphy replied, huffily. "Don't worry, I’m a mother myself. I do know what I’m doing.”

“I didn’t say you didn’t.”

“The kids will be safe," Mrs Murphy interrupted in chilly tones.

Of course they would, Maria told herself. Mrs Murphy was a sensible woman. She had a chip on her shoulder the size of her ego, but she was sensible and she wouldn’t do anything to put her own daughter at risk after all. Maria realised she was worrying about nothing.

“OK, I’m sorry. You’d have asked the same thing in my position.”

Mrs Murphy made a snorting noise on the other side of the phone, and Maria had a happy fantasy of slamming the phone down. No, that wouldn’t be fair on Rosa, or her little friend.

“That woman,” she said, after she’d finally hung up on Mrs Murphy. “I can’t believe the way she speaks to people.”

Tony looked at her cautiously. “You were a little bit... um...”

“What?”

“I love you, babe,” Tony said, courageously, “but you were a bit rude to the woman.”

She glared at him, then admitted that he was right…probably. “Well, she annoys me.”

“I can tell that,” Tony grinned sheepishly.

“Never mind,” sighed Maria. “Rosa’s going to the party anyway. It wouldn’t be fair on her, or the Murphy girl, if I’d said no, she seems nice enough, unlike her mother. I’ll get Ray to take her though, you’ll be at work and I don’t want to go anywhere near their house.”

“Well,” Tony patted the cushion of the couch, inviting her to snuggle next to him, “all the kids are happy then. Michael’s starting hockey…hey, don’t look like that. You said he could too.”

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Maria sighed.

“You were thinking, ‘I’m a good woman, and I want to make my son happy and his Poppa Proud’,” replied Tony.

“Oh. That’s right, I remember that now.” Maria rolled her eyes as she spoke.

“And Rosa’s going to a party. So we’re all happy.”

Maria grinned slyly. “Well, since I’m such a good woman, maybe I deserve a reward. What are you going to do to make me happy too?”

Tony grinned back. “I had an idea about that...”

By the time everyone was tucked up in their beds, Maria was very happy indeed. Even so, as she drifted off to sleep, she had a moment’s anxiety. She didn’t know why, but she really was worried about Caoimhe’s party.


	2. Chapter 2

"Uncle Ray, do you have to walk me all the way to the party? Look we can still see our house from here, it’s so embarrassing!" Rosa sulked, she hated it when her parents treated her like a baby and her Uncle Ray could be worse. They stopped outside Caoimhe's house and she snatched her bedroll from her uncle.

"The streets are not safe for thirteen year old girls, or anyone for that matter," replied Ray Veccho, "and it doesn't matter if I can see you from our front room window, it only takes a second for some lowlife to pull a gun or a knife on you..." he stopped talking when he realised Rosa's expression had changed from stroppy to scared. He hadn't meant to frighten her and he felt bad about it. He smiled broadly at her. "Sorry, I guess I've just been a cop too long, I get to see all the bad stuff that happens. The chances of anything like that happening in this neighbourhood are pretty remote I guess, but it doesn't hurt to be careful OK?" Rosa smiled too now. "Besides," added Ray, "I promised your mother and before you say it, I know you think we all treat you like a kid, but it’s just because we love you." 

Rosa flung her arms around her uncle and squeezed him tightly. Sometimes it drove her crazy, living with so many members of her extended family, but she wouldn't have it any other way. "I love you too Uncle Ray," she said with a huge smile on her face. 

"There's not going to be any boys at this party are there?" Ray asked, "and please tell me there won't be booze?"

"Of course there'll be boys there!" replied Rosa, "but only the girls are sleeping over," she added before Ray could drag her home again. "And there's no way anyone will be drinking alcohol, Mr and Mrs Murphy will be there and even if they weren't, me and my friends are not like that. Drinking is for morons."

Ray smiled. She was a good kid, she had her head screwed on the right way and he knew that even if one of the other kids were dumb enough to smuggle in booze, Rosa wouldn't dream of having any. "Don't stay up all night!" Ray grinned as she picked up her overnight bag and her bedroll and headed towards the front door.

"Uncle Ray," she laughed, "that's the whole point of a sleepover!"

xXx

“Who’s that?” Rosa asked Caoimhe, trying not to look at the tall handsome blonde haired boy standing in the corner of the room talking to a group of the other girls from their school.

Caoimhe shrugged and poured herself another Diet Coke. “I think it’s one of Jack’s brother’s buddies?”

“Is Jack’s brother here?” asked Rosa, “I haven’t seen him?”

“Yeah he’s over there,” replied her best friend, pointing to a slightly shorter boy with long greasy hair.

“That’s not Jack’s brother?” replied Rosa, taking a sip of her lemonade. “I don’t recognise him either?”

A sudden feeling of mild panic washed over Caoimhe. “Then who are they?” she whispered, just loud enough for her friend to hear her over the driving beat of the music. She beckoned to one of the other girls and she came over to them. “Annie, who are those two boys?” she asked.

“Er, I don’t know?” replied Annie, pulling a strange face, “It’s your party!” She laughed and went back to talk to rejoin the group.

“Oh my god, they must be gatecrashers?” Caoimhe was really panicking now, “They look about sixteen or something! My folks are gonna kill me if they find out, we have to get rid of them!”

“They’re not doing any harm, they’re just talking?” Rosa pointed out, although she was a little nervous now too.

Caoimhe took a deep breath and relaxed slightly. “You’re right,” she agreed, “they’re not causing trouble or anything, so if we ask them politely then they’ll probably leave. Maybe they didn’t realise this was a private party.”

“They look like decent guys,” replied Rosa, then she giggled and added, “kinda cute too.”

Caoimhe giggled too. “Yeah, especially the blonde one.”

“The guy with the long hair looks kinda dorky,” Rosa blushed.

“Come on,” said Caoimhe, “let’s get rid of them before my Dad finds another excuse to come in here and check on us!”

xXx

“Rosa, Rosa! Can you hear me?” Caoimhe frantically shook the unconscious body of her best friend. “Wake up! We’ve been looking for you for ages.”

Rosa stirred and half opened her eyes. She tried to speak, but her mouth was so dry she couldn’t form any words. She had no idea how she’d got to the bathroom, but here she was, sprawled on the cold floor.

“What happened?” asked Annie as she and Caoimhe helped Rosa to sit up. They both gasped when they saw the bruise on the side of her face.

“I don’t know?” Rosa just managed to get those words out before a wave of nausea washed over her. She clasped her hands to her mouth, but it was too late.

“Eeewww!” exclaimed Annie at the sight of vomit. “I think you fell and hit your head, maybe you have a brain tumour now?”

Rosa started to cry. Caoimhe was beginning to wonder why she ever invited Annie to her party, the girl was stupid. “She doesn’t have a brain tumour!” she exclaimed. Then she saw the blood. “Rosa,” she half whispered, look at your skirt. There’s…blood on it, or something. Are you having your period?”

Rosa tried to look down at herself but she felt so dizzy that she couldn’t really move her head enough. “No, that was last week, or the week before…I can’t remember.” she asked Caoimhe. Then she let out a groan. “I feel weird…you know, down there…” that was all she could manage to say before she was sick again.

“Well I guess you’re having another one already,” said Caoimhe, “maybe that’s why you fainted?” Caoimhe didn’t know what to do, she quickly filled a beaker with water and handed it to Rosa. 

Annie had stepped out of the bathroom and was being no help at all. “Is she OK?” she called through the door.

“Not really,” replied Caoimhe sharply, shaking her head at the stupid question. She and Rosa talked about girl’s stuff all the time, they were best friends, they talked about everything, but she didn’t want to talk about that sort of thing with Annie.

“Shall I go get your Mom?” asked Annie.

“Don’t,” Rosa called out, her voice shaky, “please. I’m OK.” She was really embarrassed now, there was no way she wanted Caoimhe’s Mom to see her like this. She looked at Caoimhe, her eyes begging for help. “I…I…think I’m bleeding a lot, I can feel it and it hurts.” 

Caoimhe was starting to worry that there was something more serious wrong with Rosa. “OK,” she said, trying to stay calm for her friend. “Can you stand? Can you get onto the toilet?”

“I think so,” replied Rosa, her head wasn’t spinning quite so much now and she let Caoimhe help her up. 

“Right, get yourself cleaned up and I’ll find you some of my clothes to wear and a sanitary pad,” said Caoimhe, taking charge of the situation. “Then we’ll get my Mom, OK?”

“OK,” Rosa nodded slowly. “Thanks.”

Caoimhe ran to her bedroom to find Annie lying on her bed, nearly asleep. She quickly reassured the other girl that Rosa was fine and rushed back to the bathroom. She helped her friend change her clothes, taking Rosa’s soiled skirt and panties and wrapping them in a plastic bag. “Don’t worry, I won’t let my Mom see these,” she promised Rosa, “I’d be so embarrassed if I were you, but you don’t have to be embarrassed with me do you.”

Rosa smiled. “No,” she said and gave Caoimhe a hug, “I’m scared,” she added, “it’s weird. I mean, it’s coming out all weird and it really hurts.”

“Maybe you have an infection or something?” suggested Caoimhe. That would certainly explain some of the symptoms, she thought. “If it doesn’t feel better by tomorrow, you’re gonna have to tell your Mom. Just in case. You might have to go to the doctor.”

“I don’t want to talk to the doctor about this!” exclaimed Rosa and tears started to run down her face again. “I’d rather die.”

Caoimhe understood. Being a teenager sucked sometimes, growing up sucked. It’s probably nothing serious, she thought, trying to convince herself, I’ve got to stop reading medical books and scaring myself. She half smiled as she thought about the time she’d convinced herself she had skin cancer, until she’d remembered her hand had slipped while she was using a permanent marker pen two days earlier and she was able to scrub off the offending mark.

“Caoimhe…” Rosa cried out suddenly and Caoimhe’s stomach lurched as her friend vomited for the third time.

“I guess something you ate has really disagreed with you,” said Caoimhe, passing Rosa some more water. She really hoped none of the food at her party had caused this, the salmon canapés had tasted fine, she’d had plenty of those herself and she didn’t feel at all sick. Maybe it’s a stomach bug, she wondered. “We have to get you home to bed,” she said urgently,

“That would be good,” smiled Rosa, sipping at her water again. She really hoped her Mama wasn’t going to fuss over her, right now all she wanted to do was sleep.

xXx

“Mrs Murphy, I still don’t see how this could have happened if you were supervising them? Were you drinking? Is that it?” Maria waved her hands in the air in frustration. She didn’t like the fact that she was arguing with this woman while dressed in her nightdress and slippers, but when Ray had heard the knock at the door in the early hours of the morning and opened it to see Mr Murphy with Rosa in his arms, he went straight to wake Maria and Tony of course. Tony hadn’t quite managed to get out of bed yet though.

“We were most certainly not drinking!” replied Caoimhe’s mother, then she stopped herself, she didn’t want to have a huge fight with this woman, not now. “I’m sorry Mrs D’Angelo, we thought they were all asleep? My husband checked in on them regularly during the party. We think Rosa may have fainted. You should probably take her to the hospital, just for a check up.”

“I don’t need you to tell me how to take care of my daughter,” snapped back Maria.

“Please don’t speak to my wife like that,” Mr Murphy, a usually quiet and gentle man, spoke up now, vague hints of his native Irish accent still detectable.

“OK, cool it everyone,” said Ray from his position on the sofa. He was cradling Rosa’s head in his lap, pressing an ice pack to her bruised cheek. He preferred to keep a safe distance when his sister was in one of these moods, but he had to step in now before it got out of hand. “I don’t think she’s got a concussion, I’ve seen enough of them to recognise the signs. Maybe she just ate something that upset her stomach and she passed out.”

“You served bad food to my daughter!” exclaimed Maria, taking a step closer to the Murphys.

“Maria, that’s enough,” Ray half shouted, conscious that Rosa was feeling very poorly. “None of the other girls are sick are they? It’s probably just a stomach bug. Can we talk about this in the morning? Rosa needs to be in bed.”

Maria put her hands on her hips and hung her head. “Of course,” she replied. “Thank you for bringing her home,” she added graciously, then added, “I’m sorry Caoimhe’s birthday was spoiled.”

“Thank you,” replied Mr Murphy, much calmer now. “I hope you feel better soon Rosa,” he called out and then he and his wife left the Vecchio house.

“How are you feeling now sweetheart?” asked Ray.

“I don’t really know?” replied Rosa in a weak voice. “I don’t think I’m gonna throw up again, which is good I guess, but I just feel...tired.” She couldn’t really explain how she was feeling. Her body was achy and sore all over, even in places where she’d never ached or felt sore before. She was far too embarrassed to try to explain that to her Uncle though, or even her Mama.

“I’m sure a few hours’ sleep will fix you up,” said her mother, half dragging her to her feet. “Now, off to bed with you.”

xXx

Seven weeks after the party, Rosa and Caoimhe were sitting in Biology class trying desperately not to catch the eyes of any of the boys who were giggling like idiots. “Why do we have to watch these dumb videos?” Caoimhe whispered, “we know all about this stuff already, they only make us watch them to embarrass us I’m sure.”

“There’s something freaky about watching blue cartoon people, y’know…doing it,” agreed Rosa.

Just then the bell went for the end of class and the teacher switched off the video and flicked the classroom lights back on. “Don’t forget to take one of these leaflets on your way out,” she called as her students grabbed their bags and headed out of the door as fast as they could.

Caoimhe and Rosa giggled as they hurried away to their next class. Caoimhe looked at the leaflet the teacher had thrust in her hand. “Sex and Relationships: What Every Teen Needs To Know,” she read the title of the leaflet and groaned. 

Rosa flicked through it, there wasn’t really anything in there they didn’t know already. “I need to hide this so my stupid brother doesn’t find it like he did the last one!”

“The one about periods?” whispered Caoimhe and Rosa nodded a confirmation, “Oh how embarrassing!”

“I know!” agreed Rosa, laughing as she recalled how she nearly died of embarrassment. Then she stopped suddenly and spun round to face her friend. She wasn’t laughing any more. “Caoimhe,” she whispered, “have you ever been, y’know, late? Have you ever skipped a month?”

“Yeah,” replied Caoimhe, grinning with slight embarrassment, “I’m so irregular! I once skipped two months and then when it finally did start I had stomach cramps from hell for, like, a week.”

“Oh,” Rosa looked slightly relieved. “I’m really late and it’s never happened before. I haven’t had a period since I had that freaky one that made me sick at your party.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Caoimhe tried to reassure her, “just be prepared for those cramps!”

xXx

Another six weeks passed. Caoimhe ran into the school library and was relieved to finally find Rosa. “Come on!” she urged, “we’re going to miss the bus, do you want to stay here all night?” As she got closer to her friend she suddenly became concerned. Rosa looked as though she’d been crying. “What’s up?” she asked. “Are you still feeling sick? I thought you said you felt better earlier?”

“I’m not feeling sick anymore,” confirmed Rosa, sniffing as she spoke.

“Good,” replied Caoimhe, not quite understanding why her friend was so upset if she was feeling better. “What are you reading anyway? Only geeks stay in the library after school!” She laughed at her own comment. The two of them often went to the library when they had assignments to work on together. Maybe they were geeks? If being geeks meant doing their best and working hard then they were.

Rosa closed the book and showed her friend the front cover. Caoimhe gasped. “Oh my god, your Mom’s not pregnant again is she? Your Uncle Ray is going to go crazy!” 

Rosa shook her head sadly and her tears started to fall again. “It’s not Mama,” she sobbed, “it’s me. I have all these symptoms, look.” She opened the page again and Caoimhe scanned down the words.

She looked at Rosa in disbelief. “That’s not funny,” she snapped, “you can’t be, can you? I mean, you have to have, like, a boyfriend to get pregnant! You have to...you know...and you haven’t done that with anyone...have you?”

Rosa began to sob. “Look at me,” she said and smoothed her baggy shirt down over her belly. “My whole body’s changing, I keep getting sick and I haven’t had a period for months. I’m scared, I don’t know what’s going on.”

Caoimhe hugged her friend. “You should go to the doctor,” she suggested.

“No way,” replied Rosa, “what if I am pregnant? My parents would kill me!”

“Well OK,” Caoimhe couldn’t help but agree with her there, but she was worried about her friend’s symptoms. She hesitated before continuing, she knew Rosa would be mad at her for saying what she was going to say next. “Do you think…um, is there any chance your Uncle Ray could have been right before? You have been throwing up a lot lately.”

“What!” exclaimed Rosa, “about me having an eating disorder you mean? I do not have an eating disorder! He went on and on about me having bulimia, but I’m not making myself puke on purpose, that’s gross.” 

“Well, you really haven’t been eating properly for ages,” Caoimhe continued.

Rosa hung her head and sighed. She really didn’t have the strength to argue with her best friend. “It took me weeks to get him off my case, don’t you start on me too,” she begged.

Caiomhe was still talking though, “…and I read that if you have bulimia then your hormones go all weird…”

“Stop it,” Rosa interrupted her, “just stop it, please!” Rosa had no idea what was going on with her body, but all this talk about pregnancy and bulimia was scaring her. What if she had some terrible disease…what if she was dying? Her thoughts were interrupted as Caoimhe pulled her into a huge hug.

“Come on,” said Caoimhe, releasing Rosa from her arms and slipping the library book into her bag, “if we hurry we can still catch the bus.”

xXx

“Did you get it?” hissed Rosa, glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one overheard.

“Yes,” replied Caoimhe stepping into the Vecchio house clutching a small paper bag under her arm. “Are you going to do this right now?”

Rosa nodded, grabbed the bag from her friend and ran upstairs with Caoimhe following closely behind. She ran into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. Caoimhe slumped to the floor with her back against the door and waited. After about ten minutes she stood up and called through the door as quietly as she could. “Are you OK?” She heard the door unlock and Rosa opened it. She was still clutching the paper bag. “You haven’t done it yet have you?” asked Caoimhe.

“Too scared,” replied Rosa. Caoimhe sighed and barged into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She took the bag from her friend and unwrapped the contents. “I don’t even know what to do with it?” continued Rosa in a shaky voice.

Caoimhe turned the small rectangular box over and read the instructions on the back. “I think you just have to pee on it,” she said. She opened the box and handed the contents to Rosa. “Here,” she said, “just do it, I’ll turn around and read the instructions again.”

Rosa was trembling now. Caoimhe sat on the floor next to the bath. “It says you have to wait for two minutes,” she explained, “then if you get two blue lines then you’re pregnant. You realise this is dumb, you can’t be pregnant?”

Rosa couldn’t speak as she washed her hands. Caoimhe turned around and they stared at the tiny window on the pregnancy test together. Two minutes seemed to take forever, but when the time was up they were both stunned. Rosa finally broke the silence. “See,” she said, staring at the two blue lines, “I told you.”

xXx

Two weeks later, Rosa was laying on her back on Caoimhe’s bed. Her friend was sitting on her bedroom floor pouring over the library book. “Well,” she frowned, “according to this book I would say you’re about seventeen weeks, but I guess everyone’s different? This picture looks kind of like you right now.” 

Rosa didn’t answer, her mind was racing. She’d hardly slept since she’d taken the pregnancy test and she felt like a zombie most of the time. Her friend was starting to get really worried about her. “I really think you should see a doctor, they can help you Rosa, you can’t go on like this? You can’t hide it for a whole nine months? You already have that big belly, it’s gonna get, like, really huge. Then what about when the baby comes? Then what are you going to do?” She stopped when she realised Rosa had rolled over and was sobbing into her pillow. “Oh I’m sorry,” she said and went to sit beside her friend, rubbing her back supportively. She felt totally helpless, this whole mess was terrifying enough for her, she could only imagine how Rosa must be feeling.

Suddenly Rosa sat bolt upright. “How long?” she asked with wide eyes. 

Caoimhe frowned, she didn’t understand. 

“How many weeks pregnant did you say?” Rosa explained.

“Er, seventeen,” replied Caoimhe, “but I was really just going by the pictures.”

Rosa closed her eyes while she made a quick calculation. “Your party,” she whispered. “It was your party, when I got sick, don’t you remember?” She opened her eyes and stared at her friend.

“What was?” Caoimhe was still puzzled.

“Someone...oh god, I passed out and someone...” her face crumbled into tears again. “That’s why I was so sore after then? I didn’t tell anyone, but I was really hurting.”

Now Caoimhe realised what she was saying. Rosa had been raped. The realisation hit with a sickening thud, but she really was pregnant so it was the only explanation. It still didn’t make sense though. Caoimhe thought back to that night. The party had been going really well, lots of her friends had come and they were enjoying the music and the food that her Mom had made for them. She’d made a huge chocolate birthday cake for her daughter too with fourteen candles on it and everyone had a slice. She remembered wearing her new dress and the highest shoes she’d ever been allowed to buy and she remembered that Tommie Stantos had commented that she looked cool which had made her day. It was cool that she’d been allowed to invite boys in the first place, she didn’t think her Mom would have let her, but...oh...then she remembered the two gatecrashers, the older guys that no one recognised, what even happened to them? 

“Rosa,” she said quietly, “do you remember those two guys at my party that no one knew? Did they go? I can’t remember? I mean, I remember asking them to go, but then I don’t...” her voice trailed off. This is all my fault, she thought, fighting back tears, it was my party and I should have made those boys leave…oh god, my best friend was raped because of me. That word again...rape…it made her sick…how could anyone do that to her beautiful friend? How could anyone do that to anybody?

Rosa shrugged. “I don’t really remember anything after that, until I woke up on the floor after I fainted?” She thought for a while, trying to piece her mind back together, but she just couldn’t. 

“You have to go to the cops,” said Caoimhe, with sudden determination. “Your Uncle Ray, he’s a cop, whoever did this to you can’t get away with it.”

“No!” exclaimed Rosa, “I’m not telling anyone about this. I can’t! And you have to promise not to tell anyone either. Promise me Caoimhe.”

“OK, OK, I promise,” she replied, taking a deep breath. Her friend really needed her now and she was going to be the best friend anyone had ever had.

xXx

“Happy Birthday to You! Happy Birthday to You!” 

The Vecchio family had gathered to celebrate Rosa’s fourteenth birthday and they were singing at the tops of their voices. Rosa tried to smile, she tried to look happy, but it had been over three months since she’d made Caoimhe promise to keep her secret and it was beginning to drive them both crazy. Rosa had taken to wearing really baggy clothes to hide her burgeoning baby bump and Caoimhe had decided to do the same so everyone would think it was the latest fashion trend, or something.

Michael hobbled into the room on his new crutches. “Michael will you sit down, the doctor told you to keep that leg elevated,” sighed Maria, almost pushing her son down onto the nearest chair.

“Mama, I’ve been stuck in a wheelchair for four weeks,” Michael grumbled, “I want to start walking again, cast or no cast. Will you please quit fussing.”

“I can fuss if I want to, I’m your Mama,” replied Maria, “I should never have let you play hockey…”

“Come on Sis,” Ray interrupted her before she launched into another tirade. Poor Michael had been through enough since he broke his leg at hockey practice last month. Quite apart from the surgery, he’d had to listen to Maria ranting about how hockey was the most dangerous sport on the planet and she was never going to let him do anything so stupid again and generally treating him like a baby. Poor kid couldn’t even go to the bathroom without his Mama hovering outside the door. She’d really been spoiling him rotten since the accident too, Ray figured his nephew had probably put on about ten pounds with all the cookies she’d baked him.

Today was Rosa’s special day though and Ray was determined that she should get some attention. He was all too aware that the whole family had been concentrating on other things recently and Rosa had kind of been left to get on with it. He’d been worried about her a few months ago, he’d really thought she was sick for a while, but she seemed to get over that quickly enough and just recently she’d actually been looking much healthier. “Here’s your birthday gift sweetheart,” Ray handed her an envelope and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Are you sure you just wanted money? I’d much rather have got you a huge gift and wrapped it in pink paper with ribbons and bows.” Ray smiled broadly at her.

“She asked for money from everyone,” Tony said, looking longingly at Rosa’s birthday cake.

“I’m not a little girl anymore,” mumbled Rosa, tucking the envelope into her pocket. Just then there was a knock at the door. “That’ll be Caoimhe, we’ll be upstairs.”

“Aren’t you even going to have some cake?” Maria called after her. She sighed when instead of a reply she heard the front door close and two sets of teenage footsteps running up the stairs.

“She’s just being a kid,” said Ray with a smile. Of course she didn’t want to spend her birthday with her family, he realised with a sigh. Rosa and Caoimhe had been spending so much time together recently and Ray was pleased to see that his niece had a found a good friend. He liked Caoimhe, Maria still had this stupid thing against her family, but at least she hadn’t interfered with her daughter’s friendship. So if the girls wanted to go and listen to terrible music together in her bedroom then it wasn’t such a big deal really. He remembered when he used to turn up unannounced at Benny’s with a pizza, just to get away from the noise at home, so he completely understood Rosa’s reasons.

“But she’s been like this for months,” said Maria sadly. “I was never like that when I was her age?”

Ray laughed. “Oh you were so much worse!”

“What’s wrong with Rosa?” asked Francesca, breezing into the room. “I walked in the front door, said ‘Happy Birthday’ and she and Caoimhe just ran straight up the stairs, you didn’t upset her on her birthday, did you Ray?”

“Hey, I haven’t upset her,” replied Ray, indignantly, “she’s fine, I guess they’re going to hang out upstairs for a while.”

“Hang out,” Francesca repeated with a smirk, miming quotation marks in the air, “you’re too old to say that now, bro! What next? Are you going to start ratting?”

“Do you mean rapping, Auntie Frannie?” Michael tried not to giggle as his aunt got her words in a muddle again.

“Rapping, ratting, you know what I meant,” sighed Francesca.

“How’s Ma?” asked Ray. 

“Really mad that she’s stuck in hospital on Rosa’s birthday,” replied Francesca, sadly, “I told her you were going to call in to see her later, Ray.”

“I’m just glad she finally had the surgery,” replied Ray. His mother had developed a serious knee problem several months ago and it had left her virtually unable to walk. Having two invalids in the house since Michael had his accident had been unbearable. It was at times like these he really wished Benny didn’t live so far away, he really could have gone for a pizza night so many times in the last few months. Home had been far too stressful.

“If her appointment hadn’t come through for this week I would have kidnapped the surgeon and forced him into doing her surgery,” said Maria with her hands on her hips. Ray grinned, he could actually believe his sister would have done that and he certainly wouldn’t have tried to stop her.

Upstairs Rosa carefully pulled out a tin that she’d hidden behind some books on her shelf. She set it down on her bed and kneeled on the floor. She took the envelope that Ray had given her and tore it open, quickly discarding the birthday card on the floor and unfolding the wad of green dollar bills that were tucked inside.

“How much did you get?” asked Caoimhe.

“A hundred dollars,” smiled Rosa. She opened the tin and tipped the contents out on her bed, “and two hundred from Mama and Pa and the money from Grandma too.” She started to count all the money and her smile got wider. “I think we have enough now,” she said, excitedly. Finally she could see some hope, finally she could see a way out of this mess. 

“I’ll draw out my savings too and we can go and book the tickets,” added Caoimhe, “when shall we go?”

Rosa was breathing hard now. “Soon,” she said, “as soon as we can. Next week maybe?” She was shaking as she spoke. The combination of excitement and fear were almost overwhelming. She forced herself not to think about her family. They’d get over it eventually, she thought, but this is the best thing to do, it’s the best thing for everybody.

Caoimhe was excited too. She’d been excited since they’d decided on this plan. She really hoped that Rosa was right and this could be the answer to her worries. She’d never done anything like this before and she was scared, she didn’t know what her parents were going to do, but she didn’t care. They had to do this, they had to for Rosa’s sake. “We’re really going to go aren’t we,” she half whispered.

Rosa nodded. “Yes. We have to, I’ve got no other choice.”

xXx

“Are ya comin’ to bed or not?” Ray Kowalski stood in the doorway of the bedroom.

Benton Fraser looked up from writing his report and smiled at the sight of his lover. “I’ve almost finished Ray,” he replied. “Go and keep the bed warm for me.”

“I think I’ll have to set it on fire to do that,” replied Ray, shivering, “it’s freezin’ again!”

“I don’t recommend arson as a way of keeping warm,” replied Fraser, “but it is particularly cold tonight. That storm is moving in quickly, I assume we will wake to significant snowfall in the morning.”

“Greatness,” mumbled Ray. He loved living up here in Canada with Fraser, he’d live in a cardboard box if it meant they could be together and they’d worked so hard on Fraser’s father’s cabin so it was now a beautiful cosy home, but sometimes, just sometimes he longed for some old fashioned home comforts. Like electricity that didn’t cut out every time the weather got really bad and heating that you could just turn on with the flick of a switch. He sighed. “OK, just hurry up,” he said, turning and heading back to bed. “I got an idea of how we can get warm.”

Fraser smiled to himself. Ray had a way with words that he found irresistible. This was exactly how he’d imagined his life to be. Well, not exactly, he certainly hadn’t imagined he would fall for his gorgeous blonde unofficial partner from Chicago, but he didn’t care. They loved each other and they were happy and that was all that mattered. He read through the last paragraph he’d written. His current superior officer was just as bad as Inspector Thatcher had been back at the Consulate in Chicago and he didn’t want to risk upsetting him by submitting sub-standard reports. He decided what he’d written was acceptable and put the lid on his pen. He closed the file and piled it neatly on top of the others that were on the table, carefully ensuring they were squarely stacked. 

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. With a puzzled look on his face, Fraser stood up and went to see who it was. Ray appeared at the bedroom doorway again. “Who the hell is that?” he grumbled, “it’s nearly midnight. Don’t people know ya actually go off duty sometimes?”

“It could be an emergency Ray,” said Fraser as he opened the door. He was surprised to see Sonny Jones standing there, the engine on his large four by four still running behind him. Next to him were two smaller figures, huddled in coats and scarves, shivering with cold. The snow was falling steadily around them and the wind was blowing it in through the cabin.

“Sorry Fraser,” said Sonny, “but I picked up these two in town, they were looking for you, they say they know you, said it was an emergency.”

Ray had joined his partner at the door now and rolled his eyes. Of course it was, it always is, he thought to himself.

Fraser frowned, he had no idea who these people were. Then one of them slowly pulled her hood back from her face. “Uncle Benny,” came a shaky voice, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go.”


	3. Chapter 3

Fraser stood stock still at the sight of Rosa and her friend standing outside the door. Looking into her green eyes he knew something was terribly wrong. “Rosa?” he half whispered, not quite believing that she was really there.

Coming back to himself he hurriedly gestured them inside, speaking as he did so, “Thank you kindly Sonny for bringing them up here.”

Waving a gloved hand at Fraser, Sonny answered, “It was no trouble Constable, I was finished my flights for today, as this snow storm is going to hit hard soon.” 

Looking over his shoulder Fraser saw that Ray had Rosa in a big hug as her friend looked on. He recognised Caoimhe, he remembered meeting her briefly the last time he and Ray had visited Ray Vecchio and his family in Chicago. She was shifting nervously from one foot to the other and Fraser could see how uncomfortable she was just being here. Turning back, he spoke to Sonny again, “You’d better get yourself home to your family while it’s still safe to drive and thank you again.”

Fraser watched as Sonny got into the Jeep and was safely on his way before closing the door to the cabin. Turning, Fraser found himself now with an armful of a crying Rosa, still bundled up in layers of warm clothing. She sobbed out, “Uncle Benny…Uncle Benny, I am in so much trouble. I didn't know where else to go, please don't be mad at me. I…I…I had to come here to you and Uncle Ray, where it’s safe.” Fraser looked at Ray, he was at a loss to know what was going on. Rosa looked so scared, so lost and helpless. 

Ray shrugged his shoulders and began rubbing the back of her head for comfort, speaking softly, “Rosa, sweetheart, please tell us what’s wrong, so we can help you. Does your mum know you’re here? What about your parents Caomihe, do they know where you are?”

One look at the girls faces and Fraser and Ray knew the answer. Taking a deep breath Ray spoke again, “OK, I’m going to make some hot chocolate and then we’ll sit down and you can tell us everything.”

Both girls nodded, but stayed silent as they hung up their coats and went to sit at the kitchen table.

Fraser looked at Ray and spoke quietly, “Ray, what do you think made them run all the way up here? The Fort of Good Hope is a long way from Chicago.”

Shaking his head sadly Ray replied, “I'm not sure, but whatever it is it has them terrified.”

They sat at the table with their hot drinks and it took a few moments before someone said anything. Eventually Fraser said, “Rosa, you can talk to us, you’ve come all this way…please tell us what is wrong so we can help you.”

Looking to Caoimhe for support, Rosa took her friend’s hand in hers and uttered the words that scared her half to death, “I'm pregnant.”

Shocked at what they’d heard, Fraser and Ray kept their mouths shut as they were told the whole story and by the end of it the girls were both very emotional and Rosa’s ‘uncles’ had both shed a tear or two. 

Caomihe spoke up in hiccupping sobs, “It's all my fault, it was my party.”

Ray spoke in a strong voice, “No, it was not your fault. Rosa,” he paused and glanced at Fraser before continuing, “it sounds like you may have been drugged. That’s what these lowlifes do before…well, y’know. It explains why you don’t remember anything and why you were so sick. We have to find who did this and arrest them.”

Sobbing harder now, shocked that she might have been drugged, Rosa held on to Fraser as her body shook. Fraser was taken aback, she suddenly seemed so young. Well, she was just a child after all, he reminded himself and now she was talking like the little girl that she was, “No one else knows that I am pregnant, no one at all. It’s why we ran away, I just couldn’t tell anybody. I didn't even see a doctor.”

Crouching next to her with a gentle hand on her back Ray spoke as softly as he could, “Rosa, you should’ve seen a doctor, right Ben?” 

Fraser nodded slowly and tried to soothe the crying girl. “Don't worry, if we don’t get too much snow tonight and we can get into town safely tomorrow, we will take you to the clinic. It’s small, but we have excellent medical facilities here and a highly experienced team of doctors and nurses. They will carry out a variety of medical checks and perform an ultrasound, just to make sure that everything is progressing normally with your pregnancy.”

Rosa nodded slowly and hugged Fraser again, her head was spinning now. She didn’t want medical checks, this wasn’t why she’d come here at all. “Uncle Benny,” she whispered, “what’s an ultrasound?”

“That’s a scan, isn’t it?” Caoimhe said, nervously.

“That’s correct,” replied Fraser with a smile.

“You’ll be able to see your baby,” Caoimhe was smiling now too, “won’t that be amazing!”

Rosa broke down again at her friend’s words. The last thing she wanted to do was to see her baby, she just wanted to wake up from this terrible nightmare. She didn’t want to be pregnant, she didn’t want a baby and she didn’t want to be a girl who’d been raped…she felt dizzy and sick now and she buried her head into Fraser’s shoulder. She hated herself.

Ray looked at Fraser, they were both very worried about the young girl, she really wasn’t coping very well at all. He tried to carry on the conversation, hoping that engaging her would bring her back from the darkness. “Do you know how far gone you are, sweetheart?”

Rosa didn’t answer immediately. Fraser gently stroked her hair and made soothing noises. Eventually she found her voice, shaking her head and wiping her tears before she spoke, “I'm not sure,” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Well, it was…it happened at Caoimhe's birthday party and that was months ago.”

Now very concerned at just how upset she was, Fraser spoke just as softly as Ray had done, “Rosa why don't you and your friend go rest for a while in the guest-room,” he paused, he knew that what he had to say next wasn’t going to help her current state, but it was important. “Then I will inform your parents that you are here.”

Panicking, Rosa held his arm tight, “Please Uncle Benny, don't tell them that I’m pregnant, they’ll kill me! And tell the Murphys I made Caoimhe do this…” She started to breathe in gasps again.

“No, I wanted to do this,” insisted Caoimhe.

“Ssshhh,” Fraser tried to calm Rosa down, he was starting to worry about her blood pressure now. “Don’t worry, I won't go into any details, not yet. I will simply tell them that you are both safe.” He glanced at Ray who nodded in agreement. “Now please Rosa, go and get some rest.” He finished by kissing her forehead. 

Rosa finally allowed Caoimhe to lead her towards the guest room, but she paused before entering the room. “Uncle Benny, Uncle Ray,” she began, “are you mad at me? Are you disappointed in me? Do you hate me?”

Fraser and Ray both walked straight over to her and they held her in a warm hug. Ray spoke the words for them, “Never Rosa, we could never hate you, or be mad and you are never a disappointment to anyone, do you hear? None of this is your fault. We’re gonna help you and you’re going to be fine. Everything’s going to be OK.”

Ray broke away leaving Rosa in Fraser’s arms and gave Caoimhe a hug as well as she looked like she needed one. Poor kid, he thought, she’s been a tower of strength to her best friend over the last few months, but the strain was starting to show. “Go get some rest, both of you, you’re exhausted.”

Once the door to the guest-room was closed Ray ran his fingers through this hair and spoke in whispers so the girls couldn't hear, “Jesus, Ben, poor Rosa. She’s is just a kid, she must have felt terrified and…and alone and…” he couldn’t even find the words.

Pulling him into a hug Fraser spoke softly, “She had her best friend and now she has us, we can help her Ray.”

After what seemed like hours they broke apart with a kiss as Fraser went to make the dreaded phone call. He was still in two minds about what to say. He’d promised Rosa that he wouldn’t say too much and he had to honour that. With a huge sigh he picked up the phone and dialled, “Hello Ray,” he said, thankful that his best friend had answered the call. 

Ray Vecchio had been almost asleep on the sofa when he heard the phone ring. He’d leapt up to answer it, hoping and praying that it was good news. The family had been frantic with worry since they’d realised Rosa had run away. He’d been out all day searching the streets for any sign of her, but with no luck. He’d insisted Maria and Tony go to bed, but he knew they weren’t asleep yet and neither were Francesca or their Ma. “Vecchio,” he snapped into the receiver. “Oh Benny,” he’d never been disappointed to hear his best friend’s voice on the phone before, but he so wanted it to have been Rosa calling. “Benny, something’s happened here, something bad…”

“I know,” Fraser interrupted, saddened at hearing the worry in Ray’s voice, “it’s alright Ray, Rosa and Caoimhe are here, they arrived a short while ago, they’re safe.”

Sitting down hard on the steps of the stairs Ray let out a breath he had been holding since they went missing. It took him a few moments to process the new information. “They’re up there with you?” he said finally. “Thank god, everyone is going frantic down here…but, how the hell did they get all the way up there and why Benny? What the hell’s going on?”

Fraser hated having to lie, but he’d promised Rosa so he answered his friend as best he could, “I'm not exactly sure of all the reasons at this juncture. They are sleeping at the moment, when I know more I will let you know.”

Rubbing his stubbled face, thankful that they were safe, Ray replied, “Thank you Benny, I’d better go tell Maria and Tony and Caoimhe's parents. Look, just take care of them for me and Benny…you still lie worth shit, but I trust you, OK. I know you’ll tell me what’s really going on when you can.”

Fraser smiled, he knew Ray would see straight through him, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep anything from him for too long. “I’m sorry Ray,” he said, “I will, I promise and don’t worry, Ray and I will take good care of the girls.”

It was a restless night for everyone and in the early hours of the morning Ray found himself in the kitchen making warm milk. His head was full of the images from earlier of poor Rosa and he tried to imagine how she’d possibly managed to get through the last few months. He blew across the top of his milk to cool it slightly and then he noticed Caoimhe standing there, she was crying. 

Ray put his mug down on the side and she ran into his arms, sobbing her little heart out, “It's my fault,” she cried, “if only I had asked those boys we didn't know to leave, if only…and poor Rosa my best friend…she wouldn't be going through this if I had…it’s all because of me and my stupid birthday. She got raped Ray…”

Soothing her as best he could, Ray replied, “Sweetheart there was nothing you could have done, it was not your fault, d’you hear me? Now you’re here we can help Rosa and besides, you have been helping her already, she is very lucky to have a best friend like you. She’s gonna get through this, we’re all going to get her through it together.”

Wiping her tears she nodded slowly, not really sure if she believed him. “OK,” she sighed, unconvinced. She couldn’t see how Rosa would ever recover from what had happened to her and it wasn’t even over yet. Rosa was having a baby, whether she wanted to or not and what she was going to do afterwards, Caoimhe had no idea. They hadn’t talked about the future really, apart from running away. Rosa seemed to think that getting out of Chicago would be the end of it, she’d refused to discuss what she was going to do after she’d had the baby. Caoimhe had tried to get her to talk about it, but she didn’t want to. She really hoped Ray was right and everything would be OK.

Smiling at her Ray nodded, saying, “So go back to bed and get some sleep, tomorrow will be a hard day for her and there’s a snow storm on the way.”

With that they both went back to bed, both nervous as to what tomorrow might bring.

Fraser was awake when Ray crept back into bed. “Sorry, I didn’t meant to wake ya,” said Ray apologetically.

“Not need to apologise, I was already awake,” replied Fraser, “I am having some difficulty sleeping tonight.”

“Not surprised,” mumbled Ray as he pulled the covers up to his chin in an attempt to get warm again. “Caoimhe’s awake too, she’s, er, kinda freakin’ out, poor kid. She’s blamin’ herself, ‘cause it happened at her party, y’know.”

“Oh dear,” sighed Fraser, “she has been living through this with Rosa for all these months and from what Rosa told us she has been a tower of strength. It’s perfectly understandable that she will be in a heightened emotional state, but now she has us for additional support. We need to ensure she knows that she is in no way to blame.”

“She’s a good kid,” noted Ray, “I don’t know what Rosa would’ve done without her. Y’know Ben, I’m kinda glad they ran up here to us. They’ve could’ve run anywhere, but they came here.”

Fraser smiled. “I agree,” he said, then his smile faded, “although I’m not sure that her family would agree with you. Ray knew I was keeping information from him when I telephoned him earlier.”

“Don’t worry about Ray,” Ray urged, “he’ll get it, once ya tell him the whole story, he’ll understand why ya didn’t just blurt it all out. Ya had to respect Rosa’s wishes.”

“Maybe,” shrugged Fraser, “but Maria is most certainly not going to be quite so forgiving.”

“I don’t know how Rosa could’ve hidden it from all of them,” Ray’s eyes were getting heavy as he thought about just how many people lived in the Vecchio house.

“There has been a lot happening for Ray and his family in the past few months,” Fraser pointed out, “circumstances have conspired to fuel the situation.”

“I guess,” agreed Ray, “they’re all gonna go crazy Ben. I think havin’ a baby is gonna be the easy part, Rosa’s got to deal with her Mom and Mrs V.”

“I think you’re exaggerating,” frowned Fraser. Then he thought about it for a moment and realised that Ray was perhaps assessing the situation with more accuracy than he cared to admit. He would feel more comfortable once he’d at least spoken properly to Ray Vecchio, he decided.


	4. Chapter 4

Rosa slowly paced around the kitchen. She was feeling really uncomfortable and she simply couldn’t sleep. She poured a glass of orange juice, but took one sip and decided it tasted weird. Everything tasted weird to her recently, must be something to do with being pregnant, she realised. She hated being pregnant, she didn’t understand what was happening to her and she’d done her best not to find out, despite Caoimhe’s best efforts to tell her everything she’d been reading in library books. Somewhere in the back of her mind Rosa thought that if she didn’t acknowledge what was happening to her then somehow it wasn’t really happening. She just couldn’t cope. She didn’t want a baby. 

Rosa kept pacing, she had no idea how long she’d been out of bed for now…an hour? Maybe two…she’d lost track of the time. She recited poems in her head, trying to block out what was happening. She rubbed her lower back with her hand, the pain was getting worse. Rosa tried not to cry, but the tears came anyway. She thought about going to wake her uncles, but she didn’t want them to be mad at her. She’d already landed them with all of this by turning up on their doorstep out of the blue, the least she could do was let them get a good night’s sleep. Maybe if I go back to bed and try to sleep I might feel better in the morning, Rosa thought to herself, wiping her wet face with her hand. Oh who am I trying to kid? This is only going to get worse isn’t it, but what’s wrong? I can’t be having the baby yet, Uncle Benny said I still had three weeks to go.

Rosa started heading back to the spare room where Caiomhe was sleeping soundly, exhausted after their journey, but she’d only taken a few steps when she felt a sharp pain. This wasn’t in her back, this was low down in her abdomen. She let out a yelp and clutched around herself with one arm, using her other hand to steady herself against the wall. She tried to take some deep breaths and that seemed to help, the pain began to ease off and she relaxed slightly. This is just another one of those strange twinges I’ve been feeling recently, she decided. I really need to get some sleep. 

Sweat had started to run down her face now and she wasn’t sure if she could walk, she felt strangely light headed. She tried taking more deep breaths, slowly filling her lungs with air, hoping that somehow she’d wake up in her own bed at home and this whole thing was just a terrible nightmare. Then another wave of pain coursed through her and she screamed, she tried not to, but it just came out of her mouth. She realised that she needed help now, she was so scared and she wanted her Uncle Benny to tell her that everything was fine. She wanted her Uncle Ray to give her a hug and make her feel safe. 

She staggered across to their bedroom door and reached out a hand to knock, but before she could make contact with the wood another sharp pain shot through her. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, she wanted to scream again, but this time all that came out was a squeak. Before she knew what was happening, Fraser was kneeling beside her. “It’s alright, I’m here,” he reassured her, smiling as he checked her pulse, “try to breathe slowly.”

“Uncle...Benny...” she gasped. “Something’s...wrong...it’s the baby...” she couldn’t speak properly and her head was spinning.

“Sshhh,” Fraser began to gently check over her bump, feeling for the signs that would confirm his initial thoughts. This was exactly what he’d feared, she was in labour, three weeks ahead of term. He knew that normally, three weeks was nothing to worry about, but this baby was small, he’d noticed last night when he was calculating her due date. With just three weeks to go, she should have been presenting a larger bump. “Everything will be fine, now just take some deep breaths,” he said calmly and she did as he said. “That’s good,” he smiled, “now I’m going to carry you back to your bed.”

Rosa nodded and Fraser scooped her up into his strong arms, making soothing noises as the movement caused her even more pain. As they got back into the bedroom, Caoimhe was already out of bed, the commotion had woken her. “Rosa!” she exclaimed as Fraser carefully lowered her onto the bed.

“Rosa is fine,” Fraser tried to reassure both girls, “but I need you to listen to me. You’re in labour, your baby is on the way.” He squeezed Rosa’s hand as he saw the panic in her face. “It’s going to be alright.”

“We’ve got to get to the hospital,” exclaimed Caoimhe.

“I assume you haven’t looked out of the window,” noted Fraser. “I’m afraid there’s far too much snow for us to attempt a journey safely.”

Now Caoimhe started to panic. “What are we going to do?” her voice was barely a whisper.

“We’re going to deliver Rosa’s baby,” replied Fraser, in a matter of fact manner. “Now Caoimhe, please would you go and wake Ray. Please excuse him if he utters a profanity, he’s not very good at being woken up suddenly.”

Despite everything, Rosa couldn’t help laughing at that. She loved Ray, he was funny and kind and sometimes he was kinda grouchy, but she knew that he was only pretending, most of the time anyway. Caiomhe ran to the other bedroom.

“Uncle Benny,” Rosa began as Fraser arranged cushions and pillows behind her back, “I’m...I’m scared.”

“I know,” Fraser gave her another one of his reassuring smiles, “but you don’t have to be. Giving birth is the most natural thing in the world and I will assist you, Ray and Caoimhe will be supporting you and everything will be fine.”

Rosa hoped he was right. This was the thing she’d been dreading the most, this was exactly what she hoped would never happen. Up until now she’d been hoping and praying that this whole thing was a mistake, but it wasn’t. It was really happening and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

Fraser saw the fear in the young girl’s eyes and it almost crushed him. He realised at that moment just what this whole ordeal had done to her. The innocent little girl that he’d known for years was gone and she would never be the same. She’d flown thousands of miles to be with him because she trusted him to help her, she trusted him now more than her own family and he wasn’t about to let her down. He was going to deliver this baby and everything was going to be fine, just as he’d told her, he didn’t lie. He was going to get her through this, he had to. 

Just then Ray came stumbling into the room. “What the...is the baby really comin’?”

“Yes Ray,” replied Fraser calmly.

“He said a bad word,” Caoimhe blushed.

“Jeez, I said I was sorry,” Ray looked embarrassed as he climbed onto the bed beside Rosa and took her hand in his. “I hate gettin’ woken up, I think I thought you were a...er, like an alien or somethin’.”

Rosa laughed again, but her laugh turned into a scream as pain lurched through her again. 

“Rosa,” Fraser grabbed her other hand, “look at me Rosa, look at me. You need to breathe like this.” He proceeded to demonstrate how Rosa could control the pain of her contractions with a series of panting exercises. She tried her best to copy him and she had to admit that did seem to ease the pain a little, at least it gave her something to focus on. “Well done,” smiled Fraser as the contraction began to subside. He glanced at Ray. “I’m just going to gather a few things that we’ll need, I’ll be right back, Ray will help you with your breathing if you experience another contraction before I return.” 

Ray’s eyes widened. He’d helped Fraser deliver babies before, but usually they showed up at the last possible moment when it was a real emergency and there was no one else to help. He had no experience of a full labour and from what he’d seen so far it was going to be really difficult, incredibly difficult for Rosa of course, but also hard for them to have to watch her go through it all. He suddenly felt selfish for thinking about his own feelings at a time like this, but he was also thinking about Caoimhe. She was going to have to be strong and brave over the next few hours for Rosa’s sake and he just hoped she could do it. He hoped he could do it too.

Suddenly Rosa screamed again. “Another contraction?” asked Ray, “ya gotta pant, like Ben showed ya.”

Rosa shook her head. “No, it’s different...it’s...oh god...” She lifted her head from the pillows and looked down at herself. “What’s happening?” her voice rose with the panic.

Ray could immediately see what had happened. “Er, er, OK...it’s OK, your waters have broken,” he said, trying to stay calm as he leapt off the bed and grabbed a towel that was hanging over the back of the chair in the corner. “Ben! Ben get back in here!”

“Broken?” Rosa was gasping for breath now, “My baby! What’s wrong with my baby?”

Ray started arranging towels as Fraser came running back in, just in time to hear Rosa’s words. He glanced at Ray and saw that he’d heard the significance too, that was the first time they’d heard Rosa refer to the baby as ‘hers’. It was the first time she’d really acknowledged that she was actually going to have a baby of her own and it gave them hope for their future as a family to hear that she was so concerned for her baby’s welfare.

“It’s OK,” Caoimhe was holding her hand now. “It’s meant to happen, it’s the amniotic fluid that feeds and protects your baby while he’s growing inside you. It has to come out so the baby can be born.”

Fraser couldn’t help smiling at Caoimhe as he took over from Ray, removing Rosa’s wet clothing and laying out some more towels. “I assume you’ve been doing some research,” he said.

“Yes,” replied Caoimhe, “I wanted to find out all about it, Rosa didn’t want to hear it though.”

“Why not?” asked Ray as he resumed his position on the bed.

Rosa shook her head. “I don’t know,” she sobbed as Ray tried to soothe her by stroking her hair with the back of his hand. “I…I wanted it to go away, I didn’t want to believe it was really going to happen.” 

Fraser carefully began to feel around Rosa’s bump. “Your baby is in the perfect position for delivery,” he said, “and his heartbeat is strong.” He was able to get a better idea of the baby’s size now and he was sure now that the baby was underweight. From what Rosa had told him last night, her whole pregnancy had been, quite understandably, extremely stressful for her and she just hadn’t been looking after herself. She certainly hadn’t been eating properly, Caoimhe had confirmed that when they were talking last night and her Uncle Ray had been concerned enough to think she’d been suffering from an eating disorder. That didn’t surprise Fraser at all, despite everything that had been happening in the Vecchio house over the past few months, he knew that Ray wouldn’t have completely missed that there was something wrong with Rosa. Fraser also knew that once he found out what had really been wrong with his niece, he was going to feel guilty that he’d not realised. The girls had been so clever at hiding it all though, it wasn’t Ray’s fault at all and Fraser would make sure his best friend realised that. 

Fraser began to run through scenarios in his head. He had some basic medical equipment, but they were completely cut off by the blizzard, so it would have to be enough. He just hoped the baby’s Vecchio genes would make him strong. Fraser pulled a blanket over Rosa and smiled reassuringly. She didn’t need to know that he was worried. 

Rosa started to weep again. “Hey,” Ray said gently, glancing at Fraser with concern. “C’mon, it’s gonna be OK.”

“My…my body,” she sobbed, “it’s horrible. My belly button, it looks totally weird now...it makes me want to puke.”

Fraser didn’t know what to say, she’d obviously found her whole pregnancy extremely difficult, but for now they had to concentrate on the birth. He would ensure that they talked about it all at a later date though to help her come to terms with everything that had happened.

“Well I think ya look beautiful,” smiled Ray and Rosa managed a small smile in return, but then Ray felt her hand tense around his and he realised another contraction was beginning to build. “OK now breathe, remember, ya gotta pant,” he urged, “c’mon, like Ben showed ya. Great, you’re doing great.” He glanced at Fraser for some reassurance of his own and Fraser nodded, Ray was doing everything right.

Fraser looked at his watch. It hadn’t been that long since the last contraction, things were moving along quite quickly. He was relieved for Rosa’s sake, he wasn’t sure how much of this a young girl could take. “You’re doing so well,” he said encouragingly, as the contraction passed and her breathing returned to a more normal pattern. “I’m just going to borrow Ray for a few minutes, but we’ll be right out there if you need anything. Perhaps if Caoimhe were to massage your lower back, that may help a little.” Rosa nodded and Fraser helped her roll onto her side and showed her friend how to provide her with some relief from the pain.

Fraser and Ray walked out of the bedroom and Fraser closed the door behind him. He turned to Ray and pulled him into a hug. “Are you alright?” he asked in a low voice.

“Me?” replied a surprised Ray. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. It’s just...she’s just a kid, she shouldn’t be going through all this.” 

Fraser held onto Ray even tighter. “I know,” he replied, quietly, “it’s not fair, but the best thing we can do for her is to stay strong. She needs to know that we have everything under control so that her fear doesn’t take over and she can concentrate on coping with the labour and birth.”

“I’m doin’ my best,” whispered Ray.

“You’re doing an excellent job,” smiled Fraser. “Her labour is progressing well, I anticipate that she will deliver within the next two hours.”

“Two hours!” exclaimed Ray. “She’s gotta go on like this for two hours?”

“Ray, labour is a slow process and can often continue for many, many hours,” explained Fraser. The he hesitated. “I…I believe the baby is a little underweight,” he said.

Ray hitched a breath. “Because it’s comin’ early?” he asked, his voice suddenly quiet.

“There is that,” Fraser agreed, “but in addition, Rosa’s own health may have contributed to her baby not developing as well as we might have hoped.”

“Is it gonna be OK?” Ray asked nervously.

“I hope so,” replied Fraser, “I’m sure he will, although we have no way of knowing for sure at this juncture, so we should be prepared…” his voice trailed off. “Let me worry about that,” he finished. “One of our biggest challenges will be to keep the baby warm when it’s born.”

“OK,” Ray nodded, trying to absorb this new information. This whole situation was difficult enough for Rosa, without the baby being poorly. “Hey, it’s a Vecchio baby,” he said, “he’s gonna be just fine.”

Fraser smiled at Ray’s positivity and nodded. Ray stood up tall and straight and fixed a smile on his face too before they went back into the room.

The next hour and a half felt like the longest hour and a half of Ray’s life. As Rosa’s contractions got closer together and more intense, Ray felt like he was losing control. He tried to get her to focus on the breathing exercises, but sometimes it didn’t work and Rosa was just screaming and writhing on the bed with pain and that just broke Ray’s heart. “C’mon sweetheart,” he said to her, “not long now and it’ll all be over.”

“I can’t do this!” wailed Rosa, in agony, “I can’t! Make it go away, please Uncle Ray, make it stop.” 

“It’ll all be worth it Rosa,” said Caoimhe, trying to smile. “You’re going to have a beautiful baby and you’ll be the most fantastic Mom in the world, I just know it.” Caoimhe had no idea that giving birth would be like this and she was terrified, watching her best friend go through this was the worst thing she’d ever experienced. They don’t show you this on those dumb videos at school, she thought to herself, I’m never, ever, having a baby.

“No!” Rosa screamed again, “I don’t want it, get it out of me! Uncle Benny, I don’t want it…”

“Ssshh,” Fraser tried to calm her, “Rosa, please, you need to breath, I know it’s hard, but you’ve come this far. Just breathe…” he tried to show her again, desperate to calm her down but it wasn’t having any effect and she was becoming hysterical. He checked her pulse, she couldn’t carry on like this, he quickly realised. “Alright Rosa, you need to look at me now,” he said urgently. “Look at me, come on…” Fraser took her head in both of his hands and gently began to stroke her face with his thumbs, then he started to talk in Inuktitut. It was a relaxation technique the Inuit used to practice, he hadn’t used it for a long time, but it appeared he hadn’t lost his touch. Quickly Rosa became calmer, the rise and fall of her chest slowed and her eyes drifted shut.

“Is she asleep?” asked a puzzled Caoimhe. She wanted this to be over, it was scary, but she was trying her best to help her friend.

“No, she’s just very relaxed,” explained Fraser quietly, “it will only last a few more minutes, but it will do her good.” Then he lowered his voice even more and asked her, “Are you alright?”

Caoimhe nodded. “I think so,” she whispered in reply. Then she shook her head and burst into tears. “It’s horrible,” she sobbed.

Ray reached across Rosa and took Caoimhe’s hand in his. “You’re really helpin’ her, y’know,” he said. “Ya just carry on doin’ what you’re doin’, right Ben?”

Fraser nodded. “Your unwavering support and encouragement is exactly what she needs,” he agreed, “she will never forget that you were here for her at this time.” Fraser handed Caoimhe another tissue.

Caoimhe nodded. “How much longer before the baby’s born, do you think?” she asked.

“I believe that the next few contractions will move things into the next stage,” explained Fraser, “Rosa will experience an overwhelming urge to push.”

“OK,” nodded Caoimhe, she remembered reading about that in one of the books. “But she’s exhausted, I don’t think she can push the baby out now?”

“Don’t worry,” Fraser tried to reassure her, pulling on a pair of sterile gloves as he spoke, “nature has allowed for that, she will find the strength from somewhere, but we can help by encouraging her as much as possible.”

Fraser, of course, was absolutely right. Rosa came out of her relaxed state with a new sense of calm and determination as Fraser told her she could start pushing. The next ten minutes seemed to pass in a flash and before Ray knew it he was the one grimacing with pain as Rosa gripped so tightly onto his hand as she pushed. “Good girl,” he said through gritted teeth. “You’re doin’ great.”

“Stop and breathe,” instructed Fraser, “Ray’s right, you’re doing very well, you’re almost there.” He smiled at Caoimhe who had lost her composure a few minutes ago. “Would you like to see?” He asked her, adding, “If that’s alright with you Rosa.” Rosa couldn’t speak, but she nodded and Caiomhe nervously left her position by her friend’s side and went to join Fraser. “Rosa, I need you to push again, chin on your chest...” Fraser encouraged and Rosa held Ray tightly again and pushed as hard as she could.

“Oh my god, I can see...is that...is that the baby’s head?” Caoimhe couldn’t contain herself as emotion completely took over.

“Indeed it is,” Fraser confirmed, “the head is crowning, one more like that Rosa and then you can stop for a few moments and try to catch your breath.”

Rosa was so exhausted now, she could barely muster the strength for another push, but she did the best she could. Then she collapsed back onto her pillows, gasping for breath. “You’re OK,” Ray encouraged, grateful to get the use of his hand back. 

“What are you doing now?” Caoimhe asked Fraser, “oh, I know,” she smiled, wiping away some of her tears, “you’re making sure the umbilical cord isn’t around the baby’s neck.”

“That’s correct. My word, you really did study didn’t you,” smiled Fraser. “Everything is fine. Rosa, when you’re ready, another one of those fantastic pushes.”

“I can’t,” gasped Rosa.

“Yes ya can,” urged Ray, “this is the last part, the baby’s nearly here…your baby, c’mon Rosa, y’can do this.”

Rosa looked Ray in the eye and a final wave of determination washed over her. Yes, she could do this, she’d come this far she wasn’t going to give up now and besides, she was a Vecchio woman, being strong was in her genes.

“That’s it, good girl, good girl,” Fraser choked back his own tears as he gently eased Rosa’s baby into the world.

“You did it! It’s a boy!” exclaimed Caoimhe, “that was...the most...amazing thing I’ve ever seen!”

She scrambled back to her friend, hugging the exhausted girl as Fraser quickly cut the cord. To Fraser’s relief, the baby uttered his first cries and Fraser wiped his tiny face, wrapped him in a towel and handed him to Rosa. “He’s beautiful,” he smiled as Rosa took him in her trembling arms. She couldn’t say anything, she just stared at her baby and smiled and wept.

A little while later, Rosa was asleep and it was Caoimhe who was holding the new baby in her arms. Fraser had finished cleaning up and smiled at Caoimhe. “I’ll just go and find Ray,” he said, quietly, “call out if you need anything.” 

Caoimhe nodded and Fraser went to look for Ray. He found him outside, filling his lungs with deep breaths of cool fresh air. “Hey,” said Ray when he saw him.

“Are you feeling better now Ray?” asked Fraser, somewhat gingerly.

Ray nodded. “Er, yeah,” he mumbled. “I’m, er, I’m sorry about that. I can deal with the baby comin’ out y’know, I mean, it’s all kinda gross, but I can handle that...but that, er, that...”

“You mean the placenta Ray,” Fraser prompted.

“Yeah, that,” Ray agreed, “that is the most disgustin’ thing....I mean, it looked like...it was like...” he had to stop talking as a wave of nausea overcame him.

“Oh dear Ray,” Fraser felt sorry for his squeamish lover, “perhaps you should come inside and have a glass of water.” Ray agreed and they went inside. 

They could hear the baby crying as Fraser poured Ray some water. “Is he OK?” asked Ray, a little concerned. The baby had been quite contented up until now.

“He appears to be in good health, as far as I can tell,” replied Fraser, “his lungs are fully functioning, that was one of my main concerns, but as I said before, keeping him warm is a priority.” The baby was still crying and Fraser glanced back towards the bedroom. He had a feeling he knew exactly what was troubling the tiny infant, but solving the issue wasn’t going to be easy for Rosa. He looked back at Ray. “I’m going to suggest something to Rosa,” he said, “You should sit quietly for a while until your stomach settles.” Ray nodded in agreement and Fraser went back into the girl’s bedroom.

Rosa was awake again now and was gently rocking her baby to and fro in an attempt to soothe him. She looked up when Fraser entered. “He’s crying,” she said, stating the obvious, but Fraser heard the concern in her voice. “I can’t make him stop.”

“Perhaps he’s hungry?” Fraser suggested, knowing he had to raise this subject without making it too difficult for Rosa.

“Well I guess he’s never had anything to eat or drink ever,” said Caoimhe with a giggle, “I’d be pretty grouchy if that was me!”

“Would you like to try feeding him?” asked Fraser, casually.

“Feeding…” at first Rosa didn’t understand exactly what he was suggesting, but then she realised and she blushed hard. Of course she would have to nurse her baby, she realised. “But...um, I don’t think I can? My, um...y’know, they’re not very big.”

“It doesn’t matter,” explained Fraser, gently, “your pregnancy will have prepared your body for this.” He hoped she would be able to nurse successfully anyway, he knew that there were many women who struggled for a variety of reasons, but considering their current circumstances, they had very few other options.

“Your first milk is called colostrum,” said Caoimhe, “it’s full of nutrition and it contains antibodies that will protect him against disease.”

Fraser smiled at another display of her knowledge. “That’s absolutely correct,” he said and he proceeded to explain to them how to hold the baby so that he was in the most comfortable position for both him and Rosa. “I understand that the moment he latches on may feel a little peculiar, but you should persevere as the rewards will be monumental,” he explained. “There’s nothing to worry about,” he added as he caught another wave of fear in Rosa’s eyes. “I’ll be outside, please don’t be too embarrassed to ask for help. Feeding your baby is a completely natural act.”

“Thanks,” replied Rosa quietly and the girls watched Fraser leave.

“Everythin’ OK?” asked Ray as Fraser joined him on the sofa.

“Yes I believe so,” replied Fraser.

Ray put down his drink and stole a kiss from those Mountie lips. “You,” he snuck another kiss, “were amazin’.”

“Rosa was amazing,” Fraser corrected him.

“Well yeah, but she’s a Vecchio,” laughed Ray, “what did ya expect? But...I mean, I didn’t barf until right at the end, but I was freakin’ out the whole time. What if, y’know, er, what if somethin’ had gone wrong?”

“Of course I was also freaking out, as you put it,” Fraser let out a huge sigh, “but like you I was trying to stay focussed for Rosa’s sake. I couldn’t allow myself to think about anything going wrong, although I was prepared of course. He’s on the small side, but he is strong, just as we suspected.”

They sat there for a while and gathered their thoughts. The past few hours had been like riding the wildest rollercoaster in the world, but this is just the start, Ray acknowledged to himself.

Just then the bedroom door opened and Caoimhe appeared. “Rosa wants you, both of you,” she said.

They leapt to their feet. “Is something wrong?” asked Fraser as they followed her back to Rosa’s side, smiling with relief as they saw that the baby was still feeding contentedly.

“No,” replied Rosa, “well, not with the baby anyway.” She smiled, Uncle Benny had been right, this did feel natural somehow, not at all freaky like she imagined it might. She knew this was the best thing she could do for her baby, she’d given him life and now she was giving him nourishment. Rosa didn’t dare think about the future, right now she wanted to concentrate on this very moment. She was in control of this moment and after the moths of emotional chaos she’d lived through, that felt really, really good. 

“Then what’s up?” asked Ray.

Rosa took a deep breath. A strange thought had slipped into her mind just after the birth and at first she’d thought maybe it was a bad dream, but now she wasn’t so sure, now it felt like a memory. “I think I remember something,” she explained, “about that night I mean, about the night I was...” she stopped short, instead smiling down at her baby before saying, “the night I made my baby.”

Fraser couldn’t help smiling at that expression. It was a wonderful way of describing what had happened. Right now she was riding an emotional high and he was happy to let that continue for as long as possible. He was painfully aware though that it wouldn’t last forever. The next few days and weeks were going to be a rough ride. He quickly pushed those fears to the back of his mind. “What do you remember?” he prompted.

“I remember one of those boys we didn’t know, the tall one, he insisted I try Cherry Coke at the party,” she said, “I hate Cherry Coke, but he insisted and I guess I didn’t want to look stupid, so I had some.”

Ray drew a slow breath. “Well I guess we know what the creep had put in it.”

“Indeed,” agreed Fraser, “that could be vital evidence Rosa.”

Rosa nodded seriously. Then she glanced down at the baby. “I think he’s gone to sleep,” she laughed, “but I don’t want to move him.”

“If you’re comfortable then stay like that for a while,” said Fraser, grabbing an extra blanket and wrapping it around mother and child.

Ray laughed too. “Maybe he hates gettin’ woken up, just like me,” he grinned. Then he frowned. “Hey, y’know somethin’, that baby needs a name.”

“I know,” Rosa nodded slowly, she really hadn’t thought about it until a short while ago. Suddenly, now that the baby was here, now that she really did have a baby of her own, she was starting to feel different. He was tiny and pink and wrinkly and he made weird noises but…but he was hers, he was a part of her and…she closed her eyes. Maybe she could do this after all? Maybe she actually could be a Mom after all…maybe even a good Mom… He really did need a name though. “I have a few ideas,” she told Ray, opening her eyes and smiling at her baby, “but I haven’t decided yet.”


	5. Chapter 5

Rosa lay on the bed as the morning sun peeked in between the curtains. She could not keep her eyes off her baby boy. Her eyelids felt so heavy and part of her wanted to go back to sleep, but she couldn’t stop staring at him. He was so tiny, of course all babies were and it’s not as if she hadn’t seen a newborn before, but there was something about his tiny hands and feet that took her breath away. He had a shock of dark, straight hair on the top of his head, just like little Tony had when he was born. She’d been so excited to have a baby brother and she loved little Tony with all her heart, but this felt different. This baby was hers and every time she thought too deeply about that, her head started to spin. She was fourteen years old and she was a mother…a single mother. This isn’t how she had imagined her life at all, but her choices had been taken away from her by the terrible actions of someone else and the baby lying next to her in the makeshift crib was a constant reminder of that. It wasn’t his fault, she couldn’t blame him…but how could she ever forget? 

He looked so cute, all wrapped up in a blanket that had been her Uncle Benny’s when he was a baby. He’d called it swaddling, it sounded like a something from a TV show called Fraggle Rock that she used to watch. Uncle Benny had told her it made the baby feel safe, like he was still in the womb. It seemed to be working as the baby was sleeping soundly and Rosa was grateful for that. She needed time to think…except now she was thinking she was starting to become overwhelmed. She wished she could just stay here forever, just like this, with her uncles taking care of her. She smiled to herself, neither of them were really her uncles, but she loved them both just as much as she did her mother’s brothers. She knew coming here had been the right thing to do, she couldn’t have coped with any of this back at home with her family fussing and fighting and…oh god…her family. Her parents must be going crazy already, she daren’t imagine what was going to happen when they finally found out the truth.

Resting her head against the pillow she felt so tired and hungry and like magic her Uncle Benny came in with a tray of food. Smiling, Fraser sat down beside her, “Rosa, I thought you might like something to eat, do you think that you are up to it? I’ve made soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, but I can get you something else if you’d prefer. Do you feel nauseous at all?”

Shaking her head, she carefully sat up, taking the tray from Fraser. “Thank you Uncle Benny, actually I’m starving, but I don’t know if I have the energy to eat? I’m so tired…my body hurts all over, but I can’t sleep?”

Fraser gently pushed her hair behind her ear and spoke softly to her, “I would think that you would be exhausted, you did an amazing job, we are so proud of you.”

Blushing at his words of praise, Rosa replied, “I was really frightened, but you made me feel safe, you made me feel better just like I knew that you would. Thank you Uncle Benny for helping me, I don’t know what I would have done without you?”

Fraser covered her hand wih his. “Rosa, it was all you, you did all the work,” he said, smiling, “now try to eat something and then you should try to sleep while you have the chance. I imagine you have a few things going around in your mind, but you should try not to worry about anything for now, if you wish I can help you to relax.”

Rosa nodded, she knew he was right. She was too weak, both physically and mentally, to make any big decisions. Maybe after she’d slept things wouldn’t seem quite so confusing, perhaps she wouldn’t be quite so terrified?

“Now,” Fraser continued, pleased to see Rosa eating some soup, “I know you don’t want to do this, but I think we have to tell your parents now the baby is born.”

Frightened eyes greeted his, “But they will kill me, they will hate me.”

Fraser put his arm around her, speaking in as calm a voice as possible, “Rosa, your parents love you. They will be upset at first because you’ve kept this all from them, its only natural, but they will come around once we explain what happened.”

“You mean when you tell them that I was…” Rosa couldn’t say the word, she dropped the spoon back into her bowl, splashing some of the soup onto the tray. “That I was raped,” she finally managed to say. “You think they’ll be OK with that? Of course they won’t! They’ll think it was my fault, I insisted on going to that party, I told them it would be fine, but I was stupid.”

“You are not stupid Rosa, it wasn’t your fault,” Fraser insisted, “and your family will know that to be true. No one will blame you for anything.”

Biting her lip, Rosa was fighting back the tears, “Do…do you really have to tell them?”

Fraser rubbed her back to give comfort and reassurance. “Yes I do Rosa,” he said and he kissed the top of head, “Try not to worry, your family loves you and they will love your baby.”

She smiled at her Uncle through her tears. He was right of course, her family would love her baby and they would forgive her for running away…eventually. “OK, thank you Uncle Benny and tell them that I’m sorry.” 

Fraser squeezed her hand. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Shall I send Caoimhe back in?”

Rosa nodded and watched him leave the room as she returned to her soup. Caoimhe came in a minute later. She had been talking to Ray, she really got on well with him and he had been doing a great job of taking her mind off worrying about her best friend. Caoimhe carefully sat next to Rosa on the bed. “Hey besty,” she said, grinning, “did you know that your Uncle Ray is so cool, he was showing me the tape of him hittting the home run, that was awesome!”

Rosa giggled. “He’s found a new victim and tortured you with the video! Yeah, Uncle Ray is one of the best.”

Lying back next to her friend Caoimhe spoke again, “You are so lucky to have Uncles like them. My uncle still lives back in Ireland, I’ve only met him once and I don’t think my Mom likes him very much anyway. Ben and Ray were great last night, they were so calm, it was like we were meant to come here and Ben was meant to deliver your baby…I’m sorry I wasn’t more help.”

“Don’t be silly, you were a great help,” replied Rosa, finishing the last of her soup, “and you knew so much, I wish I’d listened to you before and read one of those books…but you’re right, I don’t think I’d have wanted a stranger doing that for me.” She closed her eyes, most of the birth was a bit of a blur, all she remembered was thinking she was going to die, she never thought having a baby would be like that.

“And they’re so good with the baby,” smiled Caoimhe, glancing at the sleeping infant, “do you think they might have one of their own some day?”

Rosa frowned at her friend. “How?” she asked with a small laugh.

“Well, you know,” replied Caoimhe, “they could adopt, or I read about this couple who couldn’t have a baby so they got a friend to have one for them.”

Rosa thought about that for a moment, Caoimhe was right, Benny and Ray would be good parents. Benny had shown her so many things already about her baby, how to feed him, how to hold him…then a thought hit her, something that had never occurred to her until just now. Maybe this was why they’d come here after all, maybe this had always been the plan, but she hadn’t realised it? She couldn’t raise a child, she was fourteen years old, it was a ridiculous idea, but her Uncles could. They could raise her baby, they would love him like their own and he’d be safe and cared for and he’d never want for anything. What could she give him? She knew her Mama would take over anyway and the baby would be raised as a Vecchio, but maybe she didn’t want that for him? Her house was crazy, maybe this baby should be raised as a Kowalski-Fraser, right here in Canada where he’d been born…but she didn’t think she could just leave him? Not now…she loved him… 

“They could adopt my baby,” she said, looking straight into her friend’s eyes.

Caoimhe was shocked. “What?” she exclaimed. They’d never talked about having the baby adopted before, in fact they’d never really discussed what Rosa was going to do with her baby, apart from a very brief conversation about having a termination. Rosa had almost immediately ruled that out, so Caoimhe had just assumed that she intended to keep her baby, not give it away. Where on earth had this crazy idea come from?

Weirdly, Rosa laughed. “Relax, I’m kidding,” she said, but her eyes weren’t laughing. This was all too much, she couldn’t cope with this now. Maybe things would be clearer when she wasn’t so tired, she hoped. “I’m sorry I’m really sleepy, do you mind if I get some sleep?” she asked.

Getting up Caoimhe took the tray and covered her friend with a blanket. “No of course I don’t mind,” she smiled, “I’ll watch the baby,” she added.

“No!” exclaimed Rosa, suddenly. Caoimhe was taken aback by her outburst. “I mean…” Rosa didn’t really know what she meant. She was suddenly struck with fear, she wanted to watch him herself, she never wanted to take her eyes of him, but she was so tired.

Caoimhe laughed nervously, Rosa was starting to freak her out. “Well, I’ll just stay here and keep an eye on both of you,” she said quietly. Rosa seemed happier with that and she lay back on the bed. “You know, you really need to give him a name,” added Caoimhe. 

Smiling under the covers, her eyes closing, Rosa replied, “I will tonight, just need sleep first.”

Patting her shoulder, Caoimhe went and sat by the baby while her friend slept. The tiny hat Fraser had made for him had slipped off and she delicately put it back on his head, remembering that Fraser had told her how important it was to keep him warm.

Ray watched Fraser come out of the bedroom and straight into his arms for a hug. Rubbing his back he asked, “You doin’ OK Ben? This is taking a lot outta you, huh.”

Fraser nodded against his partner’s shoulder, “Yes Ray, and now I have to telephone and let Maria and Tony know that they are grandparents.”

Kissing the side of Ben’s head, Ray said, “Ben, you’ll do fine, I’ll be right here by your side.”

“Although I understand why Rosa lied to her parents,” began Fraser, walking over to the telephone, “I still find it difficult to understand the extent of her deception. The Vecchios are a close, loving family, surely there should have been someone to whom Rosa felt she could talk? If not her parents, then why not Francesca perhaps? Or Ray? As a Police officer he has experience of dealing with victims of crimes such as the one Rosa experienced…”

“Ben,” Ray interrupted him, “there’s no way she coulda talked to Ray, Frannie maybe, but she didn’t even know what had happened to her until weeks after, she blames herself and you saw how hard it was for her to tell us. The Vecchios woulda gone crazy and, er, I don’t think she could’ve coped with that, do you?”

Fraser thought for a moment, he imagined the reaction Rosa would have got from her parents and the rest of the family. They would have completely overreacted and that was the last thing Rosa needed. So now he was about to break the news and he was going to have to take whatever Rosa’s family were about to throw at him.

Taking Ray by the hand he picked up the phone and on hearing the voice that answered he spoke, “Hello Ray, it’s me, could I please speak to Maria?”

Ray sat down on the stairs on hearing his friend’s weary voice, “Hey Benny, you gonna tell me what’s going on now or what?” he asked.

Swallowing before he answered his friend, Fraser replied, “Ray, I really need to speak to Maria first, I’m sorry.”

Ray didn’t like it at all, but he respected Fraser’s decision. He reluctantly called his sister to the phone.

“Benton, what’s going on?” Maria yelled down the phone. “Why did my baby girl run away and why did her Irish friend go with her and why are they all the way up there? Please tell me, why are you keeping us all in the dark over this? You have no right!”

Fraser was still holding his lover’s hand tightly. He decided that the direct approach was the best under the circumstances. “Maria,” he began, keeping his voice as calm as he could, “Rosa was heavily pregnant when she arrived here and last night she gave birth to a baby boy.”

Maria was stunned to silence for a few moments before erupting into a fury. “What? What do you mean pregnant? She is only fourteen for heaven’s sake!”

Taking a deep breath Fraser spoke again, “Maria, please calm down, Rosa didn’t do this by choice.”

“She can’t have a baby!” Maria wasn’t really listening to him, “A baby…a baby…” her voice trailed off as the reality began to hit home. Her baby girl had been pregnant and not told her, but why? Was she that bad a mother that her own daughter couldn’t come to her when she was in trouble? Rosa had lied to her for all that time and then she’d run all the way to Canada to have her baby. 

“I’m sorry Maria,” Fraser raised his voice a little, hoping that Maria would hear him, “I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid Rosa was the victim of a rape. We believe her drink was tampered with at a party. If it helps at all she doesn’t remember very much about the attack.”

Maria did hear him now. “My baby girl…raped? No, please god no...” How could she not tell me? Maria couldn’t understand it. How could she go through something like this and not tell me? She had so many questions, but her emotions finally overwhelmed her and she broke down. It was no use, Maria was to far gone to hear anything else Fraser was saying.

Ray took the phone from his sister and Maria ran out of the room. “Benny, did I hear right?” he said quietly, “Rosa was raped…but how?” 

Fraser told Ray the whole story and Ray was stunned. He really didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t believe that his niece had been through so much and kept it all to herself for all this time. How could they not have realised what she was going through? He understood completely why his sister had been so upset. Eventually he found his voice. “Benny, thank you for looking after them,” he began, quietly, “for everything you’ve done for her, I’m so glad you were there for her.” He stopped and let out a long sigh. “Tell Rosa I love her will you and that I’m not mad…and Benny, Maria’s…well, I don’t know how she’s going to deal with this, you know what she’s like, the mood she’s in right now, she could do or say something she’ll regret later.”

“I understand,” replied Fraser, scratching at his eyebrow with his thumb, “and I’ll try to shield Rosa from that as much as I can until her parents have calmed down a little. She’s naturally very frightened at this juncture, she’s very fragile Ray.”

“I bet she is, I just want to give her a hug and tell her it’s OK,” said Ray, her voice cracking with emotion, “I’m sorry Benny, it’s just a shock that’s all. It’s a shock to all of us, but I’ll work on Maria and Tony for her, OK. Tell her not to worry.”

Fraser smiled into the phone, feeling Ray’s love for his niece. He knew if anyone could calm Maria down it would be Ray, but it would take time. “I will Ray,” he replied, “and I am sorry that I couldn’t tell you sooner.”

Laughing lightly, Ray said, “I understand Benny, and hey I got a Canadian grand nephew, or is that a great nephew…”

That made Fraser laugh. “Actually that’s an interesting point, Ray,” he began, “it would appear that the usage varies between nations. For example, the British…”

“Benny, shut up!”

“Understood.” Fraser realised that a lecture at this juncture was inappropriate. “To address your other point though,” he continued, “as he was born in this country Rosa’s son can indeed be registered as a joint Canadian and American citizen.”

“We didn’t know Benny,” Ray wasn’t laughing now, the reality of the situation was starting to sink in, “none of us…what the hell kinda detective am I if I didn’t notice my own niece was pregnant?”

“Rosa worked very hard to hide it from you all,” Fraser explained, “and in the last few months your family have been going through a difficult time. Young Michael is recovering from a nasty accident and your mother’s mobility difficulties have, quite naturally, been focussing all of your attention.”

Ray sighed. Maybe Fraser was right, it had felt as if a tornado had blown through the Vecchio household and they were still in the process of picking up the furniture.

“And of course you were busy with the Lakeman case for several weeks,” Fraser continued. “No one would have expected you to focus anything less than one hundred per cent of your attention on that investigation. If you hadn’t, it is almost certain that there would have been more victims.”

“I got in far too deep,” replied Ray, “but the guy was in my head, you know how that happens Benny.”

“Indeed I do, Lakeman killed four people Ray, your desire to bring him to justice was all consuming, I would have been the same,” agreed Fraser, “but considering the eventual outcome, it was very fortuitous for Annalise Martell that it was. You fully deserve your citation Ray.” 

“I don’t deserve it,” snapped Ray, “hell I definitely don’t deserve it Benny, not after this. I should have been there for my family.”

Fraser knew that Ray would feel guilty and he also knew that he wouldn’t be able to talk him out of it today. “None of this is your fault,” he said, they’d have to return to this another time once Ray had had chance to think about it. “I will ring you again soon Ray, we’ve had rather a severe snow storm here, it has caused considerable disruption to the community.”

Rubbing his head Ray replied, “OK, I assume Maria’s going to want to get up there as soon as she can.” 

Just then Maria came back into the room and Fraser could hear her yelling at Ray. His heart sank as he could hear every word. Eventually there was silence again. “Ray?” he said gingerly.

“I guess you heard all that,” Ray replied sadly. “So I guess she won’t be coming up after all. I’m sorry, let me talk to her, maybe I can get her to change her mind? You know, when Frannie hears about this I’m sure she’ll be on the next flight up there to give Rosa and that baby a hug.”

Fraser smiled. “That would be good for Rosa,” he said. Francesca might not be Rosa’s mother, but she was a close relative and he knew that Rosa needed adult female support. There was only so much he and Ray could do for her. 

“Leave this with me Benny,” said Ray, “Maria is angry right now and upset, it’s such a shock, but she will be fine I’m sure, she’ll come round. I’ll let Caoimhe’s parents know what’s going on.”

Saying their goobyes, Fraser hung up just in time for Caoimhe to walk out of the bedroom. Fraser looked at her and was immediately concerned. “Is everything alright?” he asked.

Caoimhe shrugged. “I guess,” she replied, sitting on the sofa. “Rosa and the baby are both sleeping.”

“That’s good,” said Fraser, joining her on the sofa.

The girl nodded. “She was…” she stopped, not sure if she should be telling him this. “She was being weird,” she said, “she was saying strange things, I didn’t know what to say to her.”

“What kinds of things?” Fraser probed gently.

“She was talking about giving the baby up,” Caoimhe explained, “but then she said she was just joking. It’s not something to joke about is it?”

Fraser sighed. “Rosa has suffered a huge trauma,” he explained, “and after giving birth she will be feeling a vast range of confusing emotions. We have to be as supportive as we can through this difficult time.”

Fraser was trying hard not to worry about Rosa’s emotional state. She had displayed a number of worrying signs, however now the baby was born, he hoped she would turn a corner. If only Maria wasn’t being so…well, so Maria, he thought with a sigh. Rosa needed her mother. 

A couple of hours later, Fraser was adding more logs to the fire and Ray was in the kitchen making coffee when they heard Rosa calling out. Caoimhe had fallen asleep on the sofa and they left her there while they went to talk to Rosa. They found her sitting up with the baby in her arms, smiling nervously.

“What did they say?” she asked.

Fraser sat down beside her on the bed, “Your mother was naturally quite upset,” he began, “your Uncle Ray says to tell you that he loves you and you mustn’t worry about anything. Oh and I believe that your Aunt Francesca will be coming up here to help.”

Biting her trembling lip, Rosa replied, “Really?”

Brushing her hair with his hand Ben nodded, “Yes, really. I’m sure she will be here as soon as the weather allows.”

Kissing her baby’s head Rosa didn’t know what to think. She was pleased Aunt Frannie would be here, she was cool, she knew her Aunt wouldn’t judge her for what had happened. Part of her wished her Mama was coming too, but then she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face her, not yet.

Rosa tried to push all her worries to the back of her mind and looked into Fraser’s eyes, smiling a real smile. “I have something to tell you,” she said, “I have a name now, Peter Antony D’Angelo. Do you think its a good name? My Uncle Ray always said I was born under St Peter’s star and isn’t today St Peter’s day?”

They both kissed her on the cheek. “That is correct, it is,” agreed Fraser, “it’s a perfect name for him.”

Ray spoke this time, “Rosa, that a wonderful name, you can get him registered before you go home, can’t she Ben.” He leaned over and kissed baby Peter. 

Fraser was encouraged by the fact that Rosa had finally given her baby a name and he smiled down at the beautiful sight of mother and son, “Oh yes of course,” he replied, “I am awaiting a telephone call from the midwife from the clinic. Her name is June and she will be here as soon as it’s safe to check you both. She can arrange for you to register the birth as well.”

Baby Peter had begun to cry and so Fraser and Ray left Rosa to feed him in peace. They had both started to think about what lay ahead of them. They had already decided they would be going to Chicago to help catch the person who had done this terrible thing to Rosa, they had to find whoever had done this to their family.


	6. Chapter 6

The weather had eased by the next morning, but June, the local midwife, was snowed in and had no way of getting out to see Rosa and baby Peter. After breakfast, Ray and Caoimhe had gone outside with Diefenbaker and Fraser had been able to have a long conversation with June on the telephone. She knew he’d delivered babies before and she was happy that Rosa and the baby were under his care. From what he told her, the baby had been born in good health. As their conversation drew to a close Fraser had heard Peter starting to cry and by now the baby was beginning sound quite distressed. Fraser put the phone down and went straight into Rosa’s room.

“Is everything alright?” he asked. He was surprised to see that Rosa was lying on her back in the bed, leaving Peter to cry alone. She didn’t answer him. Concerned, Fraser went straight to the baby. He was quite red in the face and he was squirming around under his swaddling blanket. Fraser lifted him out of his cot and unwrapped him. The towel that he was wearing as a nappy was still dry. “Has he fed?” Fraser asked Rosa. She just nodded silently. Fraser was really concerned about Rosa’s change of mood, she’d seemed much calmer last night, but he was more concerned about Peter. He picked the baby up and rested him over his shoulder, hoping that would soothe him. Peter let out a burp, louder than Fraser thought was possible for a newborn baby to make and almost instantly he stopped crying. Fraser smiled, “Ah, that’s all it was,” he said with relief. Rosa still didn't respond. 

“He just took in a little too much air when he fed,” Fraser explained to Rosa, as he wrapped the baby in his blanket again, “it’s nothing to worry about.” Rosa didn’t look worried. Fraser lay Peter back down and took a few minutes to settle him before he turned his full attention to Rosa. He sat carefully down on the edge of the bed. “Is there something you wish to talk about?” he asked gently. Rosa didn’t answer. Fraser coated his lower lip with his tongue as he thought about what to say next. “Rosa, your hormones can make you feel down,” he began, “and I understand that you feel overwhelmed, but you can always talk to me, or Ray, if you feel that way. We’re here to support you, as is Caoimhe.”

“Thanks,” Rosa replied quietly. 

Fraser was hoping she might say something else, but she didn’t. “I have been speaking on the telephone to the midwife,” he explained, “unfortunately the excessive snow is preventing her from visiting, but there are a few things she asked me to do, just to make sure you and Peter are alright. I want to start by checking your tummy, is that alright with you?”

“Sure,” said Rosa. She threw back the bedcovers and pulled up her t-shirt, turning her head away as she did so.

Fraser gently felt over her abdomen, just as June had instructed him. “Are you experiencing any pain?” he asked. 

“No,” replied Rosa, still looking towards the wall.

Fraser frowned. “What’s wrong Rosa? Please talk to me.” 

“I don’t want to see it,” she snapped.

“See what?” asked Fraser.

“My body,” she whispered.

Fraser pulled her t-shirt back down and covered her with the blankets again. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but it was important that I examined you. Occasionally there can be…complications, however everything appears to be fine.”

“Will it…” Rosa started to cry as she turned her head back to look at him. “Will it ever look normal again?” she sniffed.

“Your body will take time to readjust,” replied Fraser, “but you don’t appear to have developed any stretch marks. When you’re ready you can begin gentle exercises which will help.”

“OK,” said Rosa with a heavy sigh. Fraser passed her his handkerchief and she dried her eyes. “He did this to me…” her voice cracked.

“Oh Rosa,” Fraser squeezed her hand, “this man will be caught and he will face justice for what he’s done to you,” he said with determination.

“Not him,” Rosa replied. She glanced across at her sleeping baby. “Him.”

Fraser was a little stunned. He understood why she was upset by her appearance, but now she seemed to be directing her negative feelings towards the baby. He was afraid that she was starting to resent him. “Would you like me to move Peter out of your room for a while?” he asked. “You and Caoimhe can have a few hours uninterrupted rest and…”

“Yes…no…I mean…” Rosa rolled over and collapsed in tears again.

Fraser wrapped his arms around her. “Sshhh,” he soothed, “it’s alright, you’re confused, I understand. Let’s just take things one day at a time.”

“I don’t know what to do?” sobbed Rosa, “My own Mama hates me and now I have a baby I can’t look after on my own.”

“You are not alone,” insisted Fraser, “and your mother does not hate you. Once she has had some time to adjust I know she’ll give you her full support. In the meantime, Ray and I will help you in any way we can and I’m expecting a call from your Aunt Francesca today as soon as she has been able to arrange her flights.”

Rosa smiled at the thought of her aunt arriving. She’d always loved Frannie, she was fun and kind and she was always on Rosa’s side if ever her parents tried to treat her like a baby. Frannie had this habit of getting her words muddled up and she could be an airhead, so sometimes when they spent time together Rosa felt like she was the oldest, like she was the sensible one, but she liked all those things about her aunt, it made her different to all the other boring adults in her house. Yes, she thought, it will be good to see her.

Outside, Ray and Caoimhe had been chasing Dief around in the snow for a while and throwing snowballs at each other. Caoimhe had quite a good aim when it came to snowballs, Ray had quickly discovered, even when she was giggling uncontrollably and he was beginning to wish he’d worn his glasses. He gathered another handful of snow and quickly shaped it into a ball, ready for another attempt at retaliation, when an overexcited Dief somehow got under his feet and Ray ended up face down in the snow. 

“Ray!” exclaimed Caoimhe, running over to him, “are you OK?” She was still laughing, but she was genuinely concerned.

“Yeah,” replied Ray, grinning as he got to his feet and brushed himself down, “I’m fine, no thanks to the wolf,” he said. Dief snarled at him. “Hey,” retorted Ray, “I hope ya didn’t curse in front of our guest?”

Caoimhe laughed again. “Can we go inside now?” she asked. “I’m cold.”

“Me too,” agreed Ray, “c’mon.” He put his arm around her shoulder as they headed back towards the cabin with Dief running ahead. “It was good to see ya laughin’,” he added.

Caoimhe smiled. It had felt good to laugh too. It had been such a difficult few months since they’d found out Rosa was pregnant and realised what had happened to her. Caoimhe had tried to take as much of the burden from Rosa as she could because she felt so guilty that this terrible thing had happened at her party. She’d been there for her at every possible moment and when Rosa had first suggested she could run away to Canada, there was no question of Caoimhe not coming up here with her. “Ray,” she said quietly as they stepped back into the warm. “Do you think I should have told Rosa’s parents? Or mine?”

Ray let out a slow breath and pulled off his snowy boots. “Er, you’ve been a loyal friend,” he began, “and ya were in a really tough position. I don’t think there was a right or a wrong thing to do?”

"I wasn't going to break my promise," she said sincerely, "I couldn't just abandon her.”

Ray smiled and led her to the sofa where Dief had already made himself comfortable. "Off!" Ray commanded, "go sit by the fire and, er, get yourself dry first."

Caoimhe felt slightly sorry for the wolf as he settled on the rug in front of the fireplace. "Poor Dief," she said with half a smile.

"Hey, don't fall for that ‘poor Dief’ routine," grinned Ray and Caoimhe laughed, "this is how he operates, next thing ya know he'll have tricked ya into sneakin' him food."

Caoimhe got comfortable as Ray went to make them both hot chocolate. She could hear the muffled voices of Fraser and Rosa talking in the bedroom and wondered what they were talking about. She hoped Rosa wasn't upset again, her friend's rollercoaster emotions were really scaring her.

They sipped their hot drinks in silence and watched the flames dancing in the fireplace. Caoimhe was beginning to fall in love with this place, despite everything that had happened since they got here, she felt a strange sense of peace. Rosa had told her how great her adopted uncles were and she'd been absolutely right. Caoimhe knew she would be in awe of Fraser forever after watching him deliver baby Peter. He'd held everyone together when they were all freaking out, he'd been in complete control of the situation and she didn't want to imagine what might have happened if he hadn't been there.

"You OK?" Ray asked gently, aware that she'd spaced out a little.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," she replied with half a smile, "I was just thinking, y’know." 

Ray smiled and after placing his mug on the floor he put his arm around her shoulders. Caoimhe felt her cheeks flush red as she relaxed into him. She probably had a crush on Ray, she realised, which was totally dumb of course, she scolded herself. While Fraser had, quite rightly, been focussing his attentions on Rosa and baby Peter, Ray had been looking after her and she loved him for it. She could quite easily have completely lost it at any point since they got here, she realised, but Ray had been there for her at every turn, someone to listen to and a shoulder to cry on.

"What were ya thinkin’ about?" Ray prompted, he was concerned when she became quiet like this. She reminded him of himself, introspection wasn't always good for your head, he knew that from bitter experience.

Caoimhe sighed. "My parents know about it all now don't they," she said quietly.

"I guess so," agreed Ray. "Look, they're gonna be mad to start with, just like Rosa's folks are right now, but once they realise what ya did for her, they're gonna be really proud of ya, I'm sure."

"But it’s all my fault it happened in the first place," she sniffed.

"Hey, stop sayin' that," Ray reprimanded. 

"But it’s true," tears started to run down her face as she spoke, "and my parents are going to ground me forever, or worse...what if they send me away? I’m sure they would do that if they could."

Ray was slightly taken aback. "Why would they do that?" He asked, passing her a box of tissues. “Do ya really think that’s what they want?” he asked carefully.

Caoimhe shrugged. “Maybe?” she replied. “I don’t know, I guess it’s just how I feel sometimes.”

Ray smiled. “Hey, y’know, bein’ a teenager is kinda tough,” he began, “and, er, I know some days ya feel like no one wants ya around, especially your folks. I know I did. I had this weird relationship with my Dad, it was OK when I was your age I guess, but then when I was older we just grew apart and I didn’t really talk to him for years. It made me wish I’d made more out of being with him when I was a kid.”

Caoimhe looked sad. “I find it best to stay out of my Dad’s way most of the time.”

Ray’s detective training kicked in then. “He, er…” he hesitated, worried about how she might answer this question, "does he ever, y’know, hurt you?”

“Oh god no,” replied Caoimhe shaking her head vigorously, “I don’t mean that at all, but he works long hours and he’s always kinda tired I guess? He doesn’t want me to bother him when he gets home.”

“I’m sorry,” replied Ray. “Do ya have any brothers or sisters?”

“No,” replied Caoimhe quietly, “when we were back in Ireland, when I was little, they told me I was going to have a baby brother or sister and they even started decorating the spare room and buying toys and little baby clothes, but…but, then one day my granny picked me up from school and I stayed with her for three days. I didn’t understand why, but when I finally got home the room was empty again and it had been repainted. I was too young to figure it out then, but now I realise that my Mom must have lost her baby.”

“Oh geez,” said Ray, “that must’ve been a really tough time for them.”

Caoimhe nodded. “I guess,” she said, “then less than a year later we moved over here. We lived in Boston at first, but then my Dad got another job and we moved to Chicago last year.”

“Maybe they wanted to, er, make a new start after what happened?” suggested Ray. Caoimhe nodded. She couldn’t really understand why her parents had never talked to her about what happened. At the time she was too young to understand of course, but although she felt loved in her own home, she wasn’t as close to them as she would have liked, especially her Dad. She thought about Rosa having a baby so young, what would her Mom think about that? She might think it was unfair that she lost a baby she’d longed for when a teenage girl could have an unplanned baby so easily. The more Caoimhe thought about facing her parents the more she wished she could just stay here forever.

Just then Fraser appeared from the bedroom. “How’s Rosa?” asked Ray.

“She and the baby are fine,” replied Fraser. Physically that was true, although Fraser was worried about her mental state. She’s fourteen years old and she’s just had a baby conceived through rape, he reminded himself, it’s only natural that she’s going to struggle for a while.

“Are ya sure?” asked Ray who had picked up on the concern etched on Fraser’s face.

“Yes, of course,” Fraser forced a smile, “June asked me to check a few things and everything seems to be normal. Rosa and Peter are both in good health. I hope June can visit tomorrow though, a second opinion would be reassuring.”

“You’re doin’ a great job Ben,” Ray smiled. He knew something was worrying Fraser, but he also knew he wouldn’t lie about Rosa’s health, or baby Peter’s. So there must be something else, he thought, I’ll ask him about it later.

“I’ve never seen so much snow,” said Caoimhe. “How is Rosa’s aunt going to get here?”

“Ah, well the airstrip will have been cleared so aircraft will be able to land safely at least,” explained Fraser, “but if the roads are still impassable I’ll take Dief and the dogs and collect her.”

Ray laughed. “You’d get Frannie on a dogsled?” he asked, incredulously. “Are ya sure about that?”

Fraser frowned, he couldn’t see what was funny about the situation. “Of course, if it’s the only suitable method of transport.”

Ray winked at Caoimhe and she giggled. Neither of them could imagine Francesca Vecchio on the back of a dogsled, hurtling through the snow, wearing entirely inappropriate clothes. 

“I’m glad someone from Rosa’s family is coming,” said Caoimhe, “her Mom’s kinda scary sometimes, she really doesn’t get along with my Mom and I don’t think she really likes me either. Well, she’ll hate me now won’t she…but Frannie’s nice anyway.”

“Mrs D’Angelo does not hate you I’m sure,” Fraser tried to reassure her.

“Yeah,” agreed Ray, “ya took care of her daughter, she should be grateful to ya.”

Caoimhe wasn’t convinced. Her Mom had said some pretty nasty things about Rosa’s Mom although she knew her Mom could be pretty quick to judge people. This whole thing was a mess, Rosa needed her family at this difficult time and all they’d done was driven a huge wedge between them. She’d done this all wrong hadn’t she, she thought she was doing the best thing for Rosa, but all she’d done was screw everything up. She buried her head into Ray’s shoulder and sobbed. Ray wasn’t that surprised, he’d been expecting this.

xXx

“Maria, just calm down, think about what you’re saying!” Ray grabbed at his sister’s arm, trying to hold her back, but she shook herself free.

“Don’t try to stop me Ray,” Maria hissed, “my little girl was raped in that woman’s home and she’s going to answer to me for it.” Maria opened the front door and headed across the street at a brisk pace with her brother running after her.

“Get back here,” shouted Ray, “this isn’t the answer, we need to all sit down together and talk about it.”

Maria stopped for a moment and turned to face Ray. “Talk? You think talking will help?” she asked, angrily, “It’s too late for talking! I’ve lost my baby girl and none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for those Murphys and their loose morals.”

“You haven’t lost Rosa,” Ray shook his head in disbelief as Maria started walking again. “A crime took place Maria, a terrible crime, the only one with no morals here is the bastard rapist!” He looked back over his shoulder at their house, hoping Tony would have appeared by now to back him up on this, but of course his brother in law was nowhere to be seen. The guy was as useless as a chocolate fireguard sometimes, but he wasn’t as hot headed as his wife, surely he wouldn’t see any sense in Maria’s actions right now?

Maria banged on the door of the Murphys’ house with her fist. She waited a second for a response and then banged again, harder this time. “Edel Murphy, open this door right now!” she yelled.

Ray caught up with her and pulled her hand away. “You can’t do this,” he pleaded with her. “Let me talk to them first, we’re all on the same side here.”

“I know you’re in there Edel Murphy!” Maria yelled again. She marched around to a window and rapped on it with her knuckles. She spun round and looked at Ray. “I am not on the same side as these people,” she hissed.

Ray was just about to respond when the front door flew open and Caoimhe’s mother appeared with her hands on her hips. “How dare you come round here yelling and screaming!” she exclaimed.

“I’m really sorry,” began Ray, but Maria interrupted him.

“Well I’m not,” she snapped. “I want answers, I want to know how my daughter was…was…raped while under your roof…she was in your care.”

“I don’t know what happened,” replied Edel Murphy, trying not to shout, “but believe me when I say I intend to find out. Have you spoken to my daughter yet, Detective? I can’t believe Rosa dragged her all the way up to Canada.”

Ray opened his mouth to reply, but his sister wasn’t about to let him speak. “You think this was all Rosa’s idea? What a ridiculous suggestion! It was your daughter putting crazy ideas into her head. Rosa has never run away before, why would she want to now? We’re a close, loving family, she would never choose to leave of her own accord.”

“Oh your family is so close and loving that your own daughter kept her pregnancy hidden from you,” Edel replied sarcastically, her face turning crimson with anger, “don’t you dare blame any of this on my daughter!”

That was it, Edel couldn’t hold back any longer and Ray stood back while the two women exchanged fiery insults. There wasn’t much point in him trying to speak, neither of them were listening to him. Emotions were running so high he thought maybe it was best to let them both get it out of their systems.

Eventually there was a brief pause as both women caught their breath. Ray took his chance. “Ladies, please,” Ray put himself physically between the two women. “This really isn’t helping Rosa, or Caoimhe, is it. Maybe we can come in and sit down and have a civilised discussion?”

Edel was quite red in the face and breathing heavily, but she felt suddenly ashamed of what had just happened. She nodded somewhat reluctantly and held the door wide open, but Maria just glared at Ray. “If you think I’m setting foot in that house, then you’re mistaken,” she said. Then she turned back to Edel. “When you’re ready to apologise, you know where I am.” With that she stormed off back across the street.

Ray watched her go, he knew there was no reasoning with her when she was in one of these moods. He hoped she’d calm down and they’d be able to talk about it later. He needed to get her to talk to Rosa, so far she’d refused to do that and Ray felt sure that once she’d heard her daughter’s voice her maternal instincts would kick in and replace this irrational anger that seemed to be consuming her at the moment. He turned and looked awkwardly at Edel Murphy, who was still holding the door open. “Um, she’s really…confused right now,” Ray said.

Edel sighed. “So am I,” she replied in a quiet voice. “You’re still welcome to come in if you’d like,” she added.

Ray smiled. “Sure,” he said and followed her inside.

They sat in the living room and Ray took in his surroundings as Edel made coffee. The room was immaculately decorated and furnished to a very high standard, with some antique pieces and a very expensive looking sofa. They’re not short of money then, he thought to himself. A large photograph of Caoimhe and her parents smiling happily, taken by a professional photographer, hung on the wall in an ornate frame. 

Ray talked to Edel for a while, assuring her that Benny and Kowalski would be taking good care of her daughter and Edel seemed satisfied with that. He explained that there would now be a Police investigation and he went through some of the procedures she would encounter over the next few days and weeks. As the time passed Ray became more confused by her behaviour. Although she’d been concerned about Caoimhe’s welfare to start with, now her questioning seemed emotionally detached, seeming more concerned about her legal situation as her home had been the location for a crime. She asked about suspects and making her official statement, but Ray assured her that she had nothing to worry about. Eventually, he got up to leave. “Thanks for the coffee,” he said, “and I’m sorry about my sister. This whole thing has just been a huge shock for the whole family.”

“Indeed it has,” agreed Edel with a sigh. “Please keep me informed,” she added.

“Of course,” Ray assured her, “and here’s Benny’s telephone number,” he scribbled the number on a page in his notebook and tore it out to give to her. “Benny said you can call any time to speak to Caoimhe.”

“Thank you,” replied Edel, a little abruptly, “although she knows our number already and she hasn’t called home yet.”

Ray sighed. “I know, but I imagine she’s really scared right now. Maybe…” he hesitated before continuing, “maybe she wants you to call her first.”

“That’s a bit childish isn’t it?” retorted Edel.

But she’s a child, isn’t she, Ray thought to himself. Edel really didn’t seem emotionally connected to her daughter at all. “If you like, I’ll talk to Benny for you,” he said, “he might be able to tell me what’s going on up there.”

Edel agreed to that with a nod and showed Ray to the door.

xXx

“You actually live here?” Francesca Vecchio flung herself straight onto the sofa in the cabin, leaving Fraser to carry all five of her bags in through the door. “Who would choose to live here?” she was exhausted after her journey. Three connecting flights and a rather terrifying ride in Sonny’s jeep had taken every ounce of her strength and although she was extraordinarily happy to see Fraser, she wasn’t even in the mood for polite conversation.

“I do,” replied Fraser flatly, as he put her luggage on the floor with a thud. 

“Yeah, me too,” added Ray. He was glad Fraser hadn’t had to collect her by dogsled after all. She’s really not cut out for life up here, he thought to himself. She was wearing a brand new, brightly coloured ski suit. At least Sonny wouldn’t have been able to miss her at the airstrip, thought Ray with a smile. “Welcome to Canada,” he added with a wink.

Francesca couldn’t help, but smile at that. “Hey bro it’s good to see you” she said and he sat beside her and gave her a hug. Francesca really missed both of them since they’d moved up here for good. It hadn’t taken her long to get used to the idea of them being together, although it had taken longer to accept that she would never be with Fraser, but she hated that they lived so far away. 

“What the hell did ya pack?” Ray exclaimed, suddenly realising how much luggage she’d bought with her.

“Ah,” Francesca smiled and stood up, “It’s not all mine,” she explained as she unzipped her ski suit and peeled it off. “I’ve been shopping!”

With a look of glee on her face, she crossed to the pile of bags and cases and opened the first one she came to. “Well I figured you guys wouldn’t have any diapers,” she began, pulling things out and piling them on a chair, “or baby clothes, or bottles, or any of this stuff.”

“Thank you kindly Francesca,” said Fraser, taking another armful of babygros from her, “I’m sure Rosa will appreciate all of these items, I’m not sure that the clothing I’ve provided meets her requirements in terms of aesthetics.”

“It’s made outta junk,” Ray pointed out.

“Not junk Ray,” replied Fraser indignantly, “I merely utilised whatever suitable materials we had. Functionality and practicality were my main concerns.”

“You sewed baby clothes?” Francesca had no idea why she was so surprised. Of course he did, she thought.

Before Fraser had a chance to answer, Francesca caught sight of Caoimhe lurking by the kitchen. “Hi Caoimhe,” she said warmly.

Caoimhe looked nervous. “Hi Miss Vecchio,” she said, taking a step forward.

“Oh you don’t have to be so formal, only Harding ever calls me that,” laughed Francesca, “come and sit here,” she added, sitting back down and patting the seat between her and Ray.

“Thanks,” mumbled Caoimhe and she sat down somewhat awkwardly. She wasn’t sure what Francesca thought of her now, was she going to be mad at her too? All the lies that they’d told Rosa’s family over the past few months…surely even Francesca couldn’t pretend that didn’t upset her?

Francesca glanced at Ray, she’d picked up on Caoimhe’s nervousness, even though she’d only spoken to the girl a handful of times in the past it was obvious that Caoimhe wasn’t herself. Ray gave a tiny shrug, somewhat surprised at Francesca’s perceptiveness. “How are you sweetheart?” Francesca asked, “from what I hear you’ve been taking care of Rosa for us.”

Caoimhe shrugged. “I don’t know,” she replied honestly, “I just…I did what I thought was right.”

Francesca put an arm around her shoulder. “It sounds to me like you were a good friend when she really needed one,” she said.

“Are her parents really mad with her…with us?” asked Caoimhe. “I tried to persuade her to stay, you know, but she was determined to leave.”

Francesca sighed. The honest answer was ‘yes’, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. “They’re a little upset,” she said, “Rosa’s never done anything like this before, but then she’s never been in this situation before has she. As long as you’re both OK, that’s the important thing isn’t it…and the baby of course. Where is he? I haven’t even met him yet?”

Ray responded with a smile. “Sleepin’,” he explained, “and so’s Rosa, but she’ll probably wake up soon, if, er, the baby doesn’t wake her up first.”

“I’ll go and see if they’re OK,” said Caoimhe, glad of the excuse to get away. Francesca seemed to be very understanding and supportive and that gave her a small sense of relief…but then she’d only just got here. Maybe once she’d settled in she’d be different? Perhaps she was just being polite. Caoimhe was beginning to think that going along with Rosa’s plans had been the wrong thing to do. Everyone was telling her what a great friend she’d been, but wouldn’t a good friend have got help for Rosa months ago, even if it was against her wishes? Caoimhe had no idea what to think any more as she quietly opened the bedroom door.

Francesca watched her go then the smile returned to her face. “I’m a Great Aunt, Frase,” she said, “I can’t believe it…but Great Aunts are meant to be old, aren’t they?” Then her smile disappeared. “I just can’t believe all this happened to Rosa and she didn’t tell any of us. Maria’s devastated, really devastated, she’s so angry it’s awful, I was so glad to get away from the house actually. Michael doesn’t have a clue about what’s going on.”

“Poor kid,” sighed Ray. He liked Rosa’s brother, they shared a few interests, sport mainly and Ray had taken him to a Bulls game the last time they’d visited Chicago. 

Just then the bedroom door opened and Rosa walked out carrying baby Peter with Caoimhe behind them. Fraser went over to her and took Peter from Rosa’s arms. “Did you sleep well?” he asked. Then he smiled. “Look who’s here.”

Rosa suddenly saw her aunt leap up from the sofa and almost skipped over to her. “Aunt Frannie!” she exclaimed as she was enveloped in a warm hug.

“Rosa, it’s so good to see you’re OK,” said Francesca, “we were all so worried when you disappeared.”

“I’m sorry,” replied Rosa, she genuinely felt guilty about what she’d put her family through, but at the time she’d felt she had no choice. “I know Mama’s really mad with me isn’t she, I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.”

“Don’t worry about your Ma, I can sort things out with her,” smiled Francesca, “I wish you’d have come to me, but I’m here for you and Peter now, you don’t have to worry.”

“If I’d stayed it would have been far worse for all of you,” Rosa replied, “I would have brought disgrace to the whole family.”

“Disgrace?” repeated Francesca, astounded, “it’ll be the twenty first century in a few months, there’s nothing disgraceful about what’s happened to you, those stupid attitudes went out with the mark.”

“Er, the ark Frannie,” Ray corrected her, “like Noah’s Ark.”

“Noah’s Ark?” queried Francesca, “what are you talking about?”

“I believe the expression you were invoking suggests something is so outdated that it went out with the ark, not the mark,” Fraser explained.

“Ark, mark, whatever,” Francesca shrugged and the girls giggled, glad that the mood had been lifted.

After Francesca had cooed over baby Peter for a while, Fraser took Caoimhe into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner, allowing Francesca some time alone with her niece. Ray kept Peter occupied by pulling funny faces at him and giving him a tour of the cabin, pointing out things of interest. Fraser wasn’t sure that Peter would appreciate the framed Bulls vest signed by Dennis Rodman, but the tour was keeping Ray busy at least. 

Francesca made Rosa talk to her for the next hour. Fraser was pleased to see Rosa finally open up to someone, he’d been trying his best with her, but with only minimal success so far. Now Rosa was really talking, she was finally able to unburden all the feelings she’d been holding back for so long. Soon both of them were in floods of tears, but Rosa kept talking through her sobs. 

Fraser poured two glasses of water and took them over to Rosa and Francesca. “I thought you might like these,” he said with a smile as he handed them over. He crouched down on one knee in front of the sofa and placed his hand gently on Rosa’s arm. “Is there anything else you need?” he asked.

Rosa shook her head. “No,” she sniffed, “I was just going to tell Aunt Frannie about Peter’s birth,” she explained, sipping at her water, “but to be honest, a lot of it is kind of a blur, you should probably tell her what happened.”

“Oh yes Frase,” gushed Francesca, “please tell me. The next baby I have I want you to be there to deliver it, I know I wouldn’t trust anyone else’”

Fraser felt his cheeks flush red. “Ah, well,” he cleared his throat, “well…really I did nothing, Rosa did everything, she was remarkable.” He quickly told Francesca what had happened.

Francesca thought her ovaries would implode as her head filled with images of Fraser delivering babies. What a hero, she thought to herself with a sigh, what a man…oh why is life so unfair…


	7. Chapter 7

For the next three weeks the cabin was somewhat overcrowded and Fraser took to seeking solitude outside with Diefenbaker on several occasions, which of course didn’t go unnoticed by Ray. Ray even joined him one morning, living with a baby he could cope with, but living with Francesca was a nightmare. Rosa responded well to having her aunt there to help with baby Peter though and she learned how to care for her son. Fraser became far less concerned about her rejecting her baby, although the possibility of post natal depression was still a very real one and he talked at some length with June about it. “Keep a close eye on her,” June advised, “she’s in good physical health, but under the circumstances, I agree she’s at risk.” She gave Fraser some useful advice and he now knew exactly what to look out for and the right things to say. Francesca was a good listener, when she put her mind to it and she and Rosa talked a lot about everything that had happened which really helped the young girl put things into perspective. 

Despite her best efforts though, Francesca couldn’t get Rosa to ring her Mama. Francesca called home several times, but she only ever spoke to her brother, Maria wasn’t even speaking to her any more. In Maria’s eyes her younger sister had betrayed her by siding with Rosa. Francesca tried to brush it off like she didn’t care, but Fraser could tell she was really upset. 

However, Ray had a long chat with Caoimhe one morning and persuaded her to ring her mother. Caoimhe tearfully told her everything until she became so emotional that Ray took the phone off her. After quickly introducing himself, Ray explained exactly what Caoimhe had done for her best friend and how Rosa would have been totally lost without her. Edel Murphy was silent for a moment as she tried to absorb it all. “Mr Kowalski,” she began eventually, “please tell my daughter…please tell her I love her and if everything you tell me is true then I’m so proud of her…” Edel’s voice cracked. When she’d composed herself she tried to explain to Ray that although she wished Caoimhe hadn’t run away, she did understand why her daughter had done it. Ray handed the phone back to Caoimhe again and she talked to her mother for a long time, probably the longest conversation she’d ever had with her.

“See, I told ya,” Ray had smiled at her when she finally ended the call. An overwhelmed Caoimhe had gratefully accepted another hug. She was really going to miss Ray’s hugs, she’d decided, so she was going to make the most of every one.

Rosa didn’t want to go home, she was afraid that the new life she and her baby had started together would be ruined once they left Canada. “Are you sure it’s OK to take Peter on a plane?” she asked. June had given them both the all clear to fly three weeks after Peter’s birth, he was a small baby, but otherwise in excellent health and his lungs had developed well, meaning there was nothing stopping them from going back to Chicago. Still Rosa was looking for excuses to stay and at one point had resorted to tearful begging that had turned into anger directed at her Uncle Benny. It had taken a while for Fraser to calm her down and afterwards she’d felt so bad she’d gone to her room leaving everyone else to care for her baby for a few hours. Fraser was saddened to see how much her mood had changed in the last week after she’d made such excellent progress, there were bouts of inconsolable crying where all he could do was hold her in his arms while she let it out and then she would go silent for hours on end, only speaking softly to Peter as she fed or changed him. Even Caoimhe had been concerned enough to ask Fraser if he knew what was wrong. He’d tried to reassure the young girl, but Caoimhe was too smart for that.

Fraser had been in regular contact with Ray Vecchio by telephone and he knew the investigation was underway. The Police had very little to go on without the girls’ official statements so progress was virtually non-existent. Ray told Fraser that Caoimhe’s parents would be at the airport with him to meet them all, but Maria was refusing to even see her daughter, or her new grandson. Rosa talked to her Uncle Ray on the phone and he tried to reassure her that Maria would calm down in a few days, although with every day that passed, Ray became less and less convinced of that himself.

Baby Peter was impeccably behaved on the journey home. They’d quickly discovered that if he became very distressed, Ray was the only one who could soothe him and so he found himself with an armful of baby on several occasions, much to his annoyance. Eventually they landed at O’Hare and Fraser could sense both girls’ nervousness as they approached the arrivals lounge. He knew that Rosa secretly hoped Maria would have changed her mind, but he knew Ray’s sister too well, she was stubborn and he had a bad feeling that Rosa was going to be disappointed. He was right.

“Rosa!” exclaimed her Uncle Ray as he ran towards her, wrapping his arms around her in a huge hug. He’d tried so hard to get Maria to come along, but he’d failed. Tony was going to come, he at least wanted to see his daughter, to tell her how much he loved her, but at the last minute he’d changed his mind, deciding that going against his wife’s wishes was a really bad thing to do. His mixed emotions were confusing him, he couldn’t comprehend what had happened to his little girl, or her actions in the aftermath, so he ultimately felt that he and Maria should present a united front. Ray knew Tony was just incapable of having his own voice and he’d felt like he was the only person in the family on Rosa’s side.

While Ray caught up with Fraser and Ray, Caoimhe gingerly walked towards her parents who had stayed further back. Silently, she fell into her Dad’s arms and all the tension she’d been bottling up finally came out.

Francesca had Peter in her arms and Ray smiled at them. “So this is the newest addition to our family,” he half whispered, still not quite able to believe that Rosa had given birth. He peeked at the tiny face half hidden by a blanket. “Oh he’s adorable,” he smiled, adding, “he has the Vecchio nose.”

“Yeah I know,” agreed Francesca, rolling her eyes. Poor kid, she thought.

“Come on,” said Ray once everyone had relaxed a little, “let’s go home.”

xXx

Maria watched with blazing eyes as Fraser headed up the stairs with a cup of warm milk for Rosa. Her daughter may now be back living under the same roof, but so far they still hadn’t talked to each other. The longing in her heart to hold her new grandson in her arms was threatening to overwhelm her, but she was stubborn, in her mind Rosa needed to apologise. Only then could Maria begin to forgive her and start to accept Peter into the family. Turning to her mother Maria whispered harshly, pointing at his retreating back, “Ma, why is it that Rosa can open up to them, but she couldn’t open up to me? I. Am. Her. Mother. She should have come to me months ago, what did I do to deserve this? She ran all the way to another country to talk to Benton and that blond Ray, for god’s sake she ran away to them to have her baby, she should have stayed here where she belongs. Now we have a Canadian in the family.”

Ma Vecchio let her daughter rant for a few more minutes until she saw an opening to respond, “Maria, Rosa was a very frightened little girl who went through something no one should ever have to go through. She’s so young Maria, it was too much for her to cope with, she wasn’t strong enough to stay and fight, so she ran. We should be thankful she was sensible enough to run to someone who knows and loves her just as much as we do.”

Throwing her hands in the air Maria carried on with tears in her voice, “Oh she’s very sensible Ma,” she replied sarcastically. Then she sighed and her anger turned to sadness. “I just want my little girl back.”

“Then go and talk to her,” Ma stood up and shook her head, occasionally her children were too much like their father for her liking.

xXx

Rosa stood over her son’s cot. Her son…she still could not believe she was a mother. She still thought about giving him up sometimes, especially in the middle of the night when he’d woken her up and she couldn’t get back to sleep. Peter was a month old now, they’d been back in Chicago for almost a week, but she didn’t really feel like she was home. Everything had changed, even her room felt different and she felt like running away again, but her Uncle Benny and her Uncle Ray were staying here for a while so she this time she really had nowhere to go.

Rosa picked up Peter for his feed and sitting down in the rocking chair which had been passed down through the family for generations, she began to nurse him. As she did she thought about how it had felt to come home. She had been so nervous and frightened as to what she might face after everything that had happened. Rosa remembered walking out of the arrivals gate with her Uncles and Aunt Frannie and of course her best friend by her side. She’d immediately seen her Uncle Ray waving to them, but her Mama had been nowhere in sight. All she’d wanted to do was to turn around and fly straight back to Canada. 

Looking down at her baby as she fed him, she felt the tears that seem to fall all the time now. The only thing that had stopped her turning around and flying straight back to Canada was the hug she got from the one person who had come to meet them. Her Uncle Ray’s words still stayed with her, “Love you Rosa, I’m so proud of you.” That had meant the world to her.

Coming back to the here and now a knock on the door brought her head up. Rosa called out in a shaky voice, “Come in,” and hurriedly wiped the tears from her face.

Popping his head around the door was her Uncle Benny holding a cup of warm milk. Speaking softly he sat on the edge of her bed, “Thought that you might like this, how are you feeling?”

Peter had finished nursing so Rosa asked her uncle, “Would you mind winding Peter for me please?”

Smiling, Fraser nodded and took the baby from Rosa, speaking softly as he did, “Certainly,, I would love to.”

Rosa adjusted her clothing and then sipped the warm milk slowly. Sighing deeply, she answered her Uncle’s original question. “I feel…lost, like I don't know what I am doing, like everything I do is wrong. Nonna keeps trying to take over Uncle Benny. I mean, I am thankful for the help, but…” Shrugging her shoulders she continued, “I may be young, but I want to look after my baby myself. I can do it, I know I can…at least, I think I can.”

Ben held the baby gently as he winded him and spoke to Rosa gently. “You don’t have to cope alone Rosa, you have us of all to support you. I am sure if you explain to your grandmother how you feel she will let you do more on your own. She just thinks that she’s helping you, but I agree she’s going about it the wrong way.”

Rosa nodded slowly, she hadn’t wanted to ask her Nonna to back off, at least Nonna was talking to her, but she was treating her like a child and her Uncle Ray was just as bad. All she really wanted was her Mama to be the one trying to take over, but she was beginning to think that they’d never speak again. She felt as though she’d ruined her whole life and she couldn’t see a way out, she couldn’t see a way back to the way things used to be…not now, it was too late. 

Fraser noticed Rosa's bottom lip quivering, so he placed Peter in his cot and took her into his arms placing a kiss on her head as he whispered softly, “Everything is going to be alright Rosa, we will find the person who did this and make sure that justice is served to the fullest extent of the law.”

Pulling back to look into his eyes she asked in a choked out voice, “Really Uncle Benny, do you think that will happen?” Maybe once she knew he was in jail she would finally be able to get on with her life, she thought, her new life as a mother. Right now it felt like she was stuck in limbo, as if she was living in a strange dream and that none of it was really real.

Wiping the tears from her eyes Fraser nodded as he replied, “Of course, we won't let you down.”

Fraser went back into the kitchen to find Maria talking to her brother Ray. Maria's eyes were burning with fury. With a puzzled glance at Ray Fraser asked softly, “Maria is everything alright?”

His calm demeanour finally did it and Maria's fury took over as she let rip. Every other word was ‘Why', or 'How could she…'

“C’mon Maria, you’re better than this!” exclaimed Ray. “Your little girl needs you.” He had finally run out of patience, they’d been at this for a month now and he felt like he’d failed. His family was falling apart in front of him and seemingly he couldn’t do anything about it. It was all so stupid, couldn’t Maria see the same frightened child that he saw in Rosa? Goddamn Vecchio stubbornness, he thought. His sister’s behaviour made no sense to him, not after all this time.

“Apparently she doesn’t,” snapped Maria, “apparently she only needs Benton…and you and Ray and Frannie and Ma, everyone except me!”

“Maria, you’re not in the schoolyard!” Ray raised his voice louder than he’d planned to, but he was so angry he couldn’t help it. “She’s your daughter, she’s been through hell.” Ray stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind him.

Maria stared at the door, Ray’s words were ringing in her head. He was right, Rosa had been through hell. It finally hit her, what on earth had she been thinking? Anger had totally consumed her, all she’d been able to think about was that her daughter had lied and it had hurt her so much that she had barely considered Rosa’s reasoning. She hadn’t really thought about exactly what had led her to daughter to make those decisions in the first place, but now it was starting to sink in. Maria burst into tears in Fraser's arms, in whispering sobs in his chest her voice broke, “My poor baby…”

Fraser held her and comforted her with his soothing voice, “We will help her through this Maria, but she really needs you.”

“I can’t, I’ve ruined everything, she doesn’t really want me,” sobbed Maria.

“Just talk to her,” pleaded Fraser, “you can build up your relationship again.”

Ray had been listening at the door, he slowly opened it and Maria’s breath hitched as he appeared again. She’d made a total fool of herself, she would have understood if Ray didn’t want to have anything to do with her after the way she’d behaved. “Ray…” she began, pulling away from Fraser’s arms.

Ray shook his head. He didn’t want her to apologise, they could talk about it one day maybe, but for now everything now had to be about Rosa. “I’ll come with you,” he said quietly, with a glance at Fraser.

The three of them headed to Rosa’s room. Maria was trembling now, why was this so hard? Maybe she should think about it for a while, perhaps she should prepare what she was going to say. She had so much she wanted to say, but she looked at Ray and realised that she couldn’t put this off any longer.

“Remember, she was scared,” Ray said encouragingly, “and when you’re scared you can’t think straight, you don’t behave normally. She didn’t mean to hurt you, I know that for sure, right Benny.”

“That is correct,” Fraser confirmed, “she is devastated at how this has affected her relationship with you.”

Ray knocked on the bedroom door. “Rosa, can I come in?” he called out quietly.

“I’ll remain out here,” said Fraser. Ray wanted to protest, but he realised that Rosa might have been overwhelmed but the sudden presence of all three of them in her room. She didn’t need any additional pressure, he didn’t even know how she was going to react. Fraser went back downstairs to wait in the kitchen.

“Of course Uncle Ray,” Rosa called out as he opened the door. She was smiling, but her face fell when she saw her mother.

Ray looked at his sister expectantly. Say something, he urged mentally. Nothing. He glanced at Rosa, maybe she could be the one to talk first. Still nothing. He was going to get these two talking if it killed him. “OK,” he said, barging into a stunned Rosa’s room, “if you girls want to do this the hard way then we’ll do it the hard way, but we’re still going to do it.”

Rosa sat on the edge of her bed and looked over at Peter who was sleeping soundly.

“Maybe Benton should take the baby for a while?” suggested Maria, directing her question to Ray.

“He’s asleep,” replied Rosa incredulously, “I don’t want him disturbed.”

Ray sighed, he was tempted to leave the room and lock the two of them in there until they’d figured things out, but that was the coward’s way out, he thought to himself. OK, so I’m playing negotiator, am I? He was starting to wish Fraser had come in after all, he was so much better at this sort of thing. “Rosa,” he began, “look, your Mama just…”

“I just want to know why,” Maria interrupted, more abruptly than she’d planned. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you lie to me for all those months? Why did you run away?”

“Because I was pregnant!” snapped Rosa. Oh I was right all along, she doesn’t understand, Rosa thought to herself despairingly. She wanted to run again. She didn’t know how to put into words how she’d been feeling. “I was pregnant and I didn’t even know how, or why and…and…I didn’t know what else to do!”

Ray put a comforting arm around her shoulders. 

“We could have helped you if you’d just told us,” replied Maria. She still couldn’t follow the logic of Rosa’s decisions.

“How?” replied Rosa, fighting to keep her composure. “How could anyone have helped me? I thought I was a freak, or that I’d gone completely crazy. Nothing made any sense for the first few months and then…” her voice cracked and Ray squeezed her shoulders tightly, “then when I figured out that I’d been…raped…” her voice cracked again and she squeezed Ray’s hand for support. “I was so scared Mama…” she tried to carry on, but it was no good and the tears came.

Maria couldn’t bear to see her little girl so upset. “I’m sorry,” she said, moving to sit next to her daughter on the bed, “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that…” she pulled Rosa into her arms. It was so hard for her to think of her baby girl with a baby of her own and even harder to think about the circumstances that had led to this situation. It made her sick with fury and she finally realised that the anger that she’d been directing towards Rosa wasn’t really for her daughter after all. She wasn’t really that mad about the things Rosa had done, but she was consumed with rage for the person who had hurt her. 

Now Maria was sobbing too and mother and daughter held each other tightly. Ray knew that was his cue to leave.

Fraser sat at the kitchen table just as Frannie came in. Seeing the sad look on his face she asked, “What's wrong Benton?”

Smiling up at her Fraser answered, “I am worried about Maria and Rosa, their relationship is fractured Francesca, I wish that there was something that I could do to help them mend it. They are talking upstairs now, I’m glad to say that your brother has initiated a dialogue.”

Sitting across from him, Frannie took his larger hand in her small one as she breathed a sigh of relief. “Well it’s taken them long enough,” she smiled. She had been starting to wonder if her sister would ever speak to Rosa again. “They will see sense eventually, it’s just everything’s all up in a heap at the moment. Ray and I will sort out Maria.”

Squeezing her hand Fraser smiled responding voice full of emotion, “Thank you Francesca.”

xXx

The next day both Rays headed to the Police station to see what help they could be on the case even though they knew that Welsh wouldn't let them near it. They were too close, it was too personal, although Ray Kowalski was prepared to argue that technically he wasn’t family at all. Ray Vecchio knew that wouldn’t make any difference, Welsh wouldn’t back down on this, but maybe just maybe they could help in some way. 

Welsh called them into his office making them sit as he spoke, “Right you two, you do know that you can't officially work on this case as you are too close to it, I already have Huey and Dewey on it, you know they’ll leave no stone unturned, don't you.”

They both nodded not uttering a word.

Sitting down behind his desk Welsh carried on, “They’re on their way to Rosa's friend’s house now to see if anything can be used as evidence, maybe even DNA. It’s a long shot, it’s been months, but we have to try everything that we possibly can.”

Leaning forward Ray Vecchio spoke, “Sir, we have to find them, let us help. Ray here is still a Detective even though he is working as an officer with Benny up in Canada, so please, there must be some way we can help.”

Nodding his head in agreement Ray Kowalski added, “C’mon Sir, let us.”

Welsh sighed, he knew whatever he said there was no way either of the Rays were going to stay out of this investigation. “Just don’t do anything stupid,” he said.

xXx

Back at the house, Caoimhe had called round to see Rosa and Peter like she’d done almost every say since they’d got back home. Caoimhe adored little Peter, she would never forget being there when he was born and the experience had led to her making some big decisions about her own life. She hadn’t told anyone about those yet though, she had to be sure first. Today was different to the other days though, her mother had come with her today saying she wanted to meet the new baby. Rosa was quite surprised to see Mrs Murphy. “Um, hello,” she smiled nervously. She assumed Mrs Murphy was here to ban her from seeing Caoimhe again or something, she knew everyone blamed her for making Caoimhe run away with her.

“Rosa,” Edel Murphy smiled at her. Then she looked at Peter, who was laying on a playmat on the floor. “He’s adorable,” she said quietly.

“Thank you,” replied Rosa. She still wasn’t quite sure why Mrs Murphy was here. She was acting strangely and Rosa was a little freaked out. “Um, would you like to hold him?” she asked.

Suddenly Mrs Murphy went pale. “No,” she replied, her voice barely a whisper, “I…I can’t.” She took a step backwards towards the door. “Caoimhe, I’ll see you at home.” With that she turned and almost ran out of the house.

Caoimhe sat on the floor and gently tickled Peter. “She’s been weird like that since we got home,” she explained to Rosa. “At first I thought she was just mad at me, but now…there’s something else and I have no idea what it is.” She sighed. “Is Ray here?” she asked.

Rosa supressed a smile and shook her head. “He’s out with Uncle Ray,” she explained. In different circumstances she would have teased her friend about her crush on Ray, but considering everything they’d been through, Rosa figured it was good for her to have someone to turn to, someone she could trust the way she turned to her Uncle Benny. Rosa would always feel guilty about dragging her best friend into her mess. Besides, she thought to herself with another smile, it was kinda cute. 

xXx

It was very late by the time the two Rays got home and the house was in darkness, they both frowned as they thought at least Fraser would have waited up. Making their way to the kitchen they saw a light on out in the backyard and there was the very man sitting on the swing looking lost. 

Shoving his blond friend forward, Ray whispered, “Go on out to him, I’ll make us some tea and coffee.”

Smiling his thanks, Ray made his way out towards his solemn looking partner. He sat on a swing next to his lover and after waiting a few heartbeats he spoke softly, “You OK Ben? Whatcha doin’ out here on your own at this time of night?”

Swinging slightly Fraser gave a tiny smile as he answered, “Thinking, just thinking.” 

Nudging Fraser, Ray teased, “Always a dangerous thing with you Ben.”

Looking into Ray's eyes Fraser saw that he really wanted to know what was going on in his head, so he took a breath in and began, “I'm worried about Ray, I think that he is blaming himself for not noticing Rosa's condition, for being too busy at work. I know that he takes his feelings and bottles them up and I don't know how to help him.”

Coming off the swing Ray crouched in front of his partner taking his hands in his. Ray had no idea where all of this had come from suddenly. He thought things were starting to look up, Maria and Rosa had started talking again finally and it had lifted the whole family’s spirits, especially the other Ray’s. Fraser knew Ray Vecchio better than he did though, so he’d probably seen something that the guy was keeping well hidden from everyone else. “Ben, you’re helpin’ him just by bein’ here for him,” Ray began, “you’re supportin’ him and the whole family. This, er, this whole situation is very hard on the family, but by sticking together we’ll get them all through it.”

Leaning forward, Fraser rested his forehead on Ray's, whispering, “You’re right Ray, we will help them through this.”

Pulling back and smiling, Ray kissed Ben's forehead. “Dammed right,” he said, tugging on the hands in his, “Now c’mon inside, Ray’s makin’ some tea for ya. It’s freezin’ out here ya crazy Mountie!”

Letting himself be led, Fraser added, “Now Ray, you know it’s not freezing, it has to be zero degrees Celsius for that. It is in fact…”

A warning, teasing glance from Ray made him stop as they made their way into the house with Ray muttering something about crazy Canucks and about being born in an igloo.


	8. Chapter 8

“I don’t know what to say? What if I forget something, or it comes out wrong?” Caoimhe was physically shaking as she waited outside the interview room at the Twenty Seventh precinct with Ray Kowalski.

“Just tell ‘em what ya do remember,” encouraged Ray, “you’re not a suspect here remember, you’re a witness and y’know Huey and Dewey aren’t as, er, scary as they look.” He winked at her and Caoimhe managed a small smile.

Just then the door of Interview Room One opened and Rosa appeared with her Uncle Ray and Fraser. She was obviously very upset and her Uncle led her past them in silence. Fraser stopped to talk to Ray and Caoimhe. “She did very well,” he smiled, “she made a very clear and thorough statement, now it’s your turn Caoimhe, tell them everything you’ve already told us about your party.”

“OK,” Caoimhe replied in a quiet voice, “if Rosa can do it then I can. I’m just really nervous.”

“There’s no need to be, we’re all on your side,” Fraser put his hand supportively on her shoulder, “and if you remember anything else at a later date you can add to your statement, so please don’t worry. Your friend Annie is on her way here to give her statement too. First hand witness statements are vital evidence and will enable the Police to investigate new leads.”

Jack Huey’s head appeared around the door. “We’re ready for you now,” he said. “Hey, don’t look so scared, I’ll keep Dewey on a leash.” He chuckled at his own joke and Caoimhe giggled too. She looked at Ray, feeling a little more relaxed now and Ray squeezed her hand and led her into the room.

Fraser walked into the room next door where Lieutenant Welsh was observing through the two way mirror. “Constable,” Welsh acknowledged the Mountie.

“Sir,” Fraser nodded. He stood next to the older man in silence with his hands clasped behind his back. They observed as Huey and Dewey questioned Caoimhe, gently teasing answers out of her. Caoimhe, to her credit, kept her composure throughout the whole thing, answering confidently and leaning slightly in towards the microphone every time she spoke.

This was the first time that Ray and Fraser had heard the details about the night of the party and the immediate aftermath. Rosa hadn’t been able to recall much about that night, whatever she’d been drugged with had affected her memory and she couldn’t even recall how she’d got home. For Caoimhe though, the memories were vivid. Although the significance of what had happened hadn’t become apparent until weeks later, it had remained fresh in her mind. She told them how she’d helped Rosa clean herself up and given her a change of clothes. Fraser’s eyes widened and he stood a little straighter at her words. Ray glanced over his shoulder towards the two way mirror, as if he could sense Fraser’s reaction. 

Fortunately Jack Huey was having the same thoughts. “And what did you do with Rosa’s soiled clothing?” he asked.

“Um, I stuffed them into a carrier bag and hid them,” explained Caoimhe, “Rosa couldn’t have taken them home, she would have gotten into trouble with her Mom.”

“Hid them where?” asked Dewey.

Caoimhe thought for a moment and looked sideways at Ray. “I…I don’t remember?” she said, “I kinda did it quickly…um, under my bed maybe, or in the back of my closet? I’m sorry, I can’t remember.”

“It’s OK,” Ray encouraged, “if ya can’t remember right now I’ll help ya search in your room.”

Caoimhe nodded, grateful that no one was mad at her for forgetting. “Oh my god,” she said suddenly, “DNA…there might be DNA on those clothes, from the rapist, right? I never thought of that until now.”

Ray’s face was serious. “Yep,” he said. 

“If we can trace those kids who gatecrashed your party and we have the DNA evidence, then we’ll know we’ve got the guy,” Dewey was excited now, this was just the breakthrough they needed.

“Yeah good plan, except ya have no idea who the creeps were,” Ray pointed out, rolling his eyes.

“Hey, we’re still workin’ on it,” Dewey snapped back.

“Caoime here and Rosa have given us a lotta new info,” Huey said, trying to avoid another conflict between his partner and Ray. “You girls have been great today, now we’ve got to talk to your other friend…what was her name again?”

“Annie,” replied Caoimhe, “but she’s kinda an airhead, she probably won’t even remember coming to my party.”

xXx

“Annie has photos?” Rosa couldn’t believe it when Fraser told her.

“Yes,” Fraser confirmed gently rocking baby Peter in his arms. “She took a disposable camera to the party and was taking candid photographs, however she has yet to have them developed. Detective Dewey has accompanied her home to collect the film. We are of course hoping that she may have captured images of your uninvited guests.”

Rosa thought for a moment. If Annie really did have a photograph of those two boys then maybe the Police would be able to identify them. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. As much as she wanted this to be over soon, she knew that before that happened she would have to come face to face with the man who raped her, the father of her baby. She glanced at Peter who was drifting off to sleep. One day she would have to tell her son who his father was she realised, but what would that do to him? How could a person process that information? She knew she would find a way to guide him, when the time came and she knew she’d have the help from her family and her extended family so she didn’t need to worry about it now.

“Rosa are you alright?” Fraser frowned at her slightly. He laid the sleeping baby in his Moses basket and sat beside his young mother.

Rosa nodded. “I’ll have to look at the photos, won’t I,” she said quietly. “I’m not sure how I’ll feel when I see…him.”

“You don’t have to worry about anything,” Fraser assured her, “you will simply be required to acknowledge that the people in the photographs are the two young men in question.”

“But what about when I have to go to court?” Rosa’s mind was racing now. Until this point she hadn’t really thought about him as a person, she couldn’t bring herself to think that he was still out there somewhere, walking around doing everyday things. Maybe she hadn’t been his only victim? Perhaps there were other girls out there in her situation too…her head was spinning now.

“We’ll cross that particular bridge when it manifests itself,” Fraser nodded. He knew that even after she’d come through so much already there was a lot more she’d have to face over the coming weeks and months. He put his arm around her shoulder. “Everything will be alright,” he said.

xXx 

Later that evening Fraser and both of the Rays were sitting around the dining table talking about the investigation. Dinner had been over hours ago and Rosa and Maria had gone into the other room to talk. They were both trying so hard, both of them were determined that they weren’t going to let what had happened ruin their lives and their family. There was a new Vecchio now and Maria had finally welcomed him into the family, even if he was technically a d’Angelo, but even Tony was quite used to being called a Vecchio by now so Peter would just have to get used to that too. Maria couldn’t even remember now why she’d been so angry with her daughter and she’d promised herself that she’d never behave like that again to Rosa, no matter what happened.

“We’ve got someone developing those photos this evening,” Ray Vecchio wrung his hands together as he spoke. Maybe in his mind he was wringing the guy’s neck, right now he didn’t really know, right now he wanted to do something that wasn’t sitting around here.

“Let’s hope the creep is in at least one of ‘em,” said Ray Kowalski. He was also frustrated and sat drumming his fingers on the table.

It had been hard for all of them to hear Caoimhe’s statement about that night, particularly for Ray Vecchio. Hearing the details had just brought home exactly what his niece had gone through and he was feeling even more guilty now than he had been already. Suddenly he leapt to his feet. “I’ll go and check on Ma,” he said, slamming his chair against the table, “I told her not to cook for us tonight, she shouldn’t be spending too much time on her feet, not so soon after the surgery.”

“Your mother is determined to continue family life as normally as possible,” Fraser pointed out, “I’m not sure that her own health is a top priority to her at this juncture. We have all been rather preoccupied with Rosa of course, but if you need any assistance with your mother Ray then please say so.”

Ray let out a long sigh. “Ma’s OK,” he replied, “she’s always OK. She never lets us down, she never lets something like major surgery stop her from taking care of her family.”

Ray Kowalski glanced at Fraser. That was a slightly weird thing to say, he thought. “Er, I’ll go see your Ma Ray,” he said, “why don’t you, er, sit down and let Ben make ya a cup of that freaky tea that makes stuff in your head feel better?”

Ray tried to protest, but Fraser was too quick. “That’s an excellent idea Ray,” he said and in an instant he was leading his old friend back to the chair. Fraser nodded a thank you to the other Ray who disappeared out of the room to find Mrs Vecchio.

Fraser quickly made the tea and set the cups down on the table. Ray picked up his cup and sniffed at it, turning up his nose as the aroma filled his senses. “So exactly what stuff in my head does Kowalski think I need to fix?” he asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly at Fraser.

Fraser sipped his tea and though carefully about how he was going to answer. He knew that Ray could be stubborn and he wasn’t comfortable with talking about his feelings, but he also knew that Ray was allowing guilt to take over and that was not going to help Rosa over the coming weeks. “Ray and I are…concerned about you, Ray,” he began, “you have made several references recently suggesting that you somehow blame yourself for what happened to Rosa.”

Ray slammed his teacup down on the table, causing tea to splash over the sides. “Of course it’s my fault,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m her Uncle and I’m a detective and I had no idea Benny, she was living under my roof and I didn’t know she was pregnant.”

“She went to great lengths to keep her secret,” Fraser pointed out, “and you and your family have had many other things to deal with over the past few months. Quite apart from your mother’s surgery and young Michael’s accident, both of which have caused difficulties, you were deeply involved in the investigation and subsequent capture of a serial killer. It was only right and natural that your focus was fully on your work at that time, he was a very dangerous man, lives were saved by your actions Ray.”

“Finished?” snapped Ray sarcastically. “Thanks for the speech,” he continued equally as insincerely, “yeah I’m a hero, I got the medal to prove it. Welsh even said something about a promotion. Except my kid niece gets pregnant by a rapist and I didn’t notice, not a clue, so how does that make me a great detective, huh? How many clues have I missed at crime scenes over the years Benny? How many lowlifes are out there now because I couldn’t see something that was right under my nose all the time? I should just quit now, for good this time. I’m not fit to be a cop.”

“Ray I think you’re overreacting,” began Fraser, but he didn’t get a chance to explain himself.

“Overreacting!” exclaimed Ray, “what the hell do you expect me to do? I’ve let Rosa down, I’ve let my whole family down Benny. I think it’s OK to overreact in this situation!”

“Ray, circumstances conspired against you and you were dealing with a very clever and resourceful young lady,” Fraser tried to reassure his friend, “none of this is a reflection on your ability to do your job. You are a good detective Ray and the citizens of this city are lucky to have you protecting them.”

Ray rolled his eyes. “Stop talking like that Benny,” he sighed. “You’re only saying all that crap to make me feel better.”

“It’s not…crap Ray,” replied Fraser quietly. 

Fraser rarely, if ever, used language like that and it made Ray listen. The stupid Mountie really does believe what he’s saying, he thought to himself. Ray sighed. Maybe he had been a little overdramatic, perhaps he was just looking for someone to blame and the obvious answer was to blame himself, an easy target. Geez, I thought the other Ray was the one with the self esteem issues… “OK, if you say so Benny,” he said quietly. “I knew something was wrong right at the start, but it never occurred to me that it would turn out to be this.”

“You had absolutely no way of knowing,” smiled Fraser and Ray nodded and began to drink his tea.

xXx

“I’ll bring them home, you don’t have to go back to the station again,” Ray hugged his niece and left for the Two Seven early the next morning to collect the photographs that her friend Annie had taken at the party. Almost as soon as the front door had closed behind him, the doorbell rang.

Maria opened the door and Fraser heard her sharp intake of breath when she saw Caoimhe with her mother, Edel, standing there. So far, Maria had been able to avoid seeing Edel, but now they were face to face and there was nowhere to hide. “Caoimhe, you…you must be here to…to visit Rosa,” she stammered, pretending that Edel wasn’t there, as if that would somehow magically make her disappear. Of course it didn’t work. “And, um, Edel, um, do you want to come in?” It came out sounding a little snappy. Maria may well have finally swallowed her pride and begun rebuilding her relationship with her own daughter, but there was no way she was going to apologise to Edel Murphy. Rosa had been raped under her roof and therefore under her care and Maria wasn’t going to forgive that in a hurry.

“Yes, I’d like to see Rosa and her baby too please?” Edel avoided making direct contact with the other woman.

Maria thought for a moment. Rosa had told her that Edel came to see her the other day, but Maria couldn’t help wondering what her motive was. If she thinks she can get Rosa on her side and that somehow that’s going to make everything alright then she’s mistaken, Maria thought, narrowing her eyes as if that would help her read Edel’s mind. “Caoimhe,” Maria smiled sweetly at Rosa’s friend, “you can go on up, I think Benton and Ray are with her.”

Caoimhe smiled at the mention of Ray’s name and skipped upstairs to find them.

Edel took a deep breath. “Maria,” she began, “I’m…I’m so sorry, for…”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Maria quickly interrupted, almost surprising herself.

“But it happened in my house,” continued Edel, “my husband and I thought we were keeping an eye on them, we thought they were old enough to be given some freedom, I don’t understand why they didn’t tell us as soon as they realised there were gatecrashers at the party.”

Maria shrugged. “It seems that both of our daughters have…what’s the best word, um, confused us with their actions,” she smiled ruefully. “I thought Rosa could talk to me about anything, we’ve always been so close, but I suppose everything changes when they become teenagers.”

Edel blinked away tears. She knew that she had never been as close to Caoimhe as Rosa and Maria were. Maria noticed the other woman’s emotional reaction and suddenly felt some compassion for her that she’d never felt before. Caoimhe had lied to Edel just as Rosa had lied to her and they’d both run away to Canada together. She handed Edel a tissue and waited while she dried her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” mumbled Edel, “it’s been a difficult few weeks. If it’s alright with you, I have some things for Rosa, or rather some things for Peter, may I give them to Rosa?”

Maria smiled, it was a genuine smile, maybe she could be friends with Edel after all, she thought. They seemed to have a lot in common, not only having daughters of the same age but there was something else too, Maria couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “Of course,” she said, then she added, “would you like a coffee?”

Edel wasn’t sure what to say. Only a few weeks ago Maria had been standing on her doorstep yelling at her, calling her names and blaming her for the terrible thing that had happened to Rosa. Now she was offering an olive branch and Edel found herself warming quickly to the other woman. She admired Maria’s feistiness and she had the family life that Edel had always longed for. Edel had a sister and two brothers herself, but her biggest regret was that she wasn’t able to give Caoimhe any siblings and she’d never been able to talk to anyone about it, not even her own husband. Now suddenly with Rosa having a baby, all of those thoughts that she’d tried to supress for so long had come rushing back into her mind and she really needed to talk about it, or she was scared that this time it might finally drive her crazy. “Thank you Maria,” she smiled back, “I’d like that very much.”

xXx

“Was that Edel Murphy I just saw leaving the house?” Ray Vecchio walked in the front door with a large file under his arm and glanced back over his shoulder and across the street. “It looked like she was crying? What the hell did you say to her this time Maria?”

“You’ve got it all wrong bro,” replied Maria, “it’s OK now, Edel and I had a long talk and…well I apologised Ray, so I think we’re friends now. I misunderstood her all this time, I was wrong about her.”

Ray’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Did I hear that right? You were wrong about something? And you’re freely admitting this?” A grin spread slowly across his face.

“Yes, I am Ray,” replied Maria, standing with her hands on her hips. “And it’s not funny Ray, the poor woman…” her voice trailed off. Edel had taken her completely by surprise when she told her about the baby she’d lost and the effect that had had on the rest of her life, including her relationship with Caoimhe. Her heart had gone out to her and they’d cried together and hugged and Maria had promised never to tell anyone. “I think she’s lonely Ray,” Maria continued, it wasn’t a lie, “and we talked a lot and I apologised and that’s the end of it. I invited the Murphys for dinner tomorrow.”

“Great,” Ray rolled his eyes, he wasn’t completely convinced by Maria’s sudden change of heart, something about the way she was talking didn’t add up and the last thing he wanted was a blazing row between the two women over the dinner table. 

“Are those the photographs?” asked Maria, nodding towards the file Ray was carrying.

“Yes, I guess I should get the girls to look at them,” he said. He knew Rosa had been worrying about what memories might come back to her when she saw them. 

Just then Fraser appeared on the stairs. “Ah, I thought I heard your voice Ray,” he said, “do you have the photographs, Rosa and Caoimhe would like to get this over with.”

“Yeah, I’ve got them Benny,” replied Ray, waving the file in the air.

“Perhaps I should make some tea,” suggested Fraser.

Soon Maria, Ray, Fraser, Ray, Rosa and Caoimhe were all seated in the living room drinking either tea or coffee. Ray Vecchio had his notebook out. “We just need names, OK,” he said, “but if you can remember anything else that you think might help then that would be great. Even a small detail could be significant.” The girls nodded and Fraser opened the file and they started going through the photos. 

Annie was clearly not a very good photographer, although to be fair, disposable cameras took terrible photos at the best of times, thought Ray Kowalski to himself. “You OK?” he asked Caoimhe. He wasn’t sure which of the girls was more scared about having to remember the party. 

Caoimhe just smiled back, she was glad Ray was here with her. It was OK for Rosa, she thought, she couldn’t remember. As horrible as it all was, at least Rosa didn’t have any memory of it. Caoimhe couldn’t help but remember all the details now, things that she hadn’t thought twice about on the day, but which were almost too unbearable to think about now, in context.

The girls named all the people they recognised in the photographs. Ray had numbered each one and he made detailed notes, including some of the other things they remembered as they talked about the party. Some of their other friends had brought their boyfriends and between them, Rosa and Caoimhe were able to identify all of them. Then they came to a photo of Caoimhe’s birthday cake. Edel had covered it with fourteen candles and the photograph perfectly captured the moment that Caoimhe blew them out. However Rosa wasn’t looking at the cake, she was looking at the crowd that had gathered round to watch. Behind Jess and Tara were two boys and Rosa squinted, trying to bring them into focus. “Caoimhe, is that them?” Rosa’s voice was barely a whisper.

Caoimhe looked closely and then nodded silently. Ray grabbed the rest of the photos and began flicking through them quickly. “Here they are again,” he said, slapping the picture in question down on the table, “and, er, there’s the one with the darker hair standin’ next to the stereo.” He found another two photos with one or both of the gatecrashers in. None of them were perfectly in focus, nor were there any without someone or something partially obstructing their faces, but at least they had something to go on. “Come on Vecchio,” he said, leaping to his feet, “let’s get back to the station and, er, get Frannie lookin’ through the computer records. Maybe she can find a match?”

“Slow down Stanley,” said the other Ray, despondently and Ray winced at the rare use of his real name, “Welsh pulled me off the case, remember? And you were never on it. I said I’d take notes and pass them onto the Duck Boys, that’s all. We’re not investigating the case and Frannie’s been told to stay out of it too.”

Ray sighed. Huey and Dewey were good at their jobs and he’d trust them with any other investigation, but not this one, this one was personal and he just wanted to work it himself with Vecchio and Ben. They hadn’t worked a case together for such a long time and they were good at it, before he and Ben had gone back to Canada for good, they’d made some good collars and he missed that. He’d never admit it to the other Ray of course, but he actually missed working with him. 

xXx

“Are you sure it’s him?” Fraser kept his voice low and glanced over his shoulder as he spoke. The Two Seven was as busy as usual with the hustle and bustle of cops and criminals and the random craziness that usually went on in this particular Police station.

“Of course I’m sure,” replied Francesca, thrusting a brown envelope into his hand. She was standing unnecessarily close to him, her excuse being that she didn’t want to be overheard. These days the smell of her perfume didn’t have the same effect on Fraser as it used to have a few years ago, but Francesca would never give up hope. “Look,” she said, slowly sliding the printout from the envelope. The photocopied picture wasn’t very clear, but it was the best she could do. If Welsh had caught her passing the information to Fraser he would have gone crazy. “See, he has the same eyes as the guy from All My Children.”

Fraser had no idea what All My Children was, but he nodded anyway. He wanted to get out of the Two Seven as soon as possible, he was very uncomfortable with going behind Lieutenant Welsh’s back, but he really needed to feel like he was doing something to help and so did both of the Rays. “Hmm, I see he has a previous conviction for assault,” Fraser noted, looking at the details Francesca had printed from the Police records. “Were you able to match the other suspect?”

“No,” sighed Francesca, “and I’d know him if I saw him, he’s got a really twisty nose, like that congressman, you know, the one who’s always talking about healthcare.

Fraser frowned. Healthcare was a contentious issue amongst many American politicians and several of them discussed the topic on a regular basis, none of whom had particularly unusual noses as far as he could recall. “Thank you kindly Francesca,” he said, anxious to leave before Welsh walked past, “I appreciate your assistance and your integrity in this matter.”

“Hey, we have to find those creeps Frase,” Francesca was suddenly very serious, “it’s just another case to Jack and Tom, but this is family. You guys should be on this.”

“Detectives Huey and Dewey are fully aware of the family connections in this case Francesca and I’m sure they are doing everything they can,” Fraser replied evenly, “the very reason Lieutenant Welsh has insisted that we do not work on this is precisely because of the close family connections and I fully understand his decision. I cannot guarantee that my personal feelings will not affect my professionalism.”

Francesca smiled. “Frase, your personal feelings always affect the way you work, that’s why you’re so good at what you do, not every cop cares like you do.”

Fraser blushed slightly at the praise and tugged at his left earlobe. He didn’t agree with her assessment. “I would like to think that the majority of law enforcement officers care deeply about the victims of crime and their families.”

Francesca couldn’t help herself, she flung her arms around him. “Just find whoever did this to Rosa, please.”

xXx

“Wow my room was never this tidy,” grinned Ray as he followed Caoimhe into her bedroom.

“I like to know where my stuff is,” blushed Caoimhe. “I just wish I could remember what I did with that bag of clothes, I was in such a hurry that night, I was worried about Rosa being sick and I didn’t want us to get in trouble with our parents.”

“It’s OK, we’ll find ‘em,” replied Ray with an encouraging smile. “D’ya have somewhere that ya normally hide, er, y’know, secret stuff. Things ya want to hide from your Mom I mean.”

Caoimhe felt her cheeks flush even more than they already were. “Well I…I keep a diary,” she said quietly, “and I keep that hidden. I don’t want my parents reading it…but I didn’t hide anything else there, I know that for sure.”

Ray stood up a little straighter. “A diary,” he repeated. “D’ya think there could be anything in your diary that might help us? Would you be OK with someone readin’ it…me maybe? Ya may have written somethin’ significant and not, er, realised at the time.”

Caoimhe felt like she couldn’t breathe. The last thing she wanted was Ray reading her diary, well certainly not recent entries. She wrote her most personal thoughts and feelings in that diary and recently most of her personal feelings had been about Ray.

Ray hadn’t meant to embarrass her. “Maybe Frannie could look through it with ya instead,” he suggested, “she’s a pretty good detective these days…don’t, er, don’t tell her I said that. If there’s anythin’ that ya wrote that could be a clue, she should find it.”

Caoimhe thought for a moment. She really liked Frannie, she’d been really nice to her when they were all back in Canada. Maybe it would be OK for Rosa’s aunt to read her diaries. She wrote in it every day so perhaps there was some kind of clue in there. She realised she had to overcome her embarrassment if it meant there was a chance to catch the rapist. “Sure,” she said quietly. She opened the drawer in her bedside table and tipped the contents out onto the bed. Then she tapped the base hard in one corner until it fell out, revealing a secret compartment containing her diary. The thick book had a green cover and Caoimhe had clearly written her name on the front in silver marker pen. “Here,” she said, giving the diary to Ray. She trusted him not to read it, he was a cop after all. 

“Thanks,” he said. “I’ll give it to Frannie. Now let’s find these old clothes of Rosa’s.”

Ray started looking behind rows of neatly stacked books on the bookshelves and in crates of well organised shoes and other belongings. Caoimhe rummaged through her wardrobe, all the time trying to remember back to that night. She remembered how sick Rosa had been, of course now they were almost certain that her friend had been drugged but she’d had no idea at the time. She remembered how her main concern at first had been to keep it all from her Mom because she’d thought she’d get blamed somehow, but once she’d realised that was going to be impossible, her priority had become to get Rosa home as quickly as possible. She stood in the middle of her room with her hands on her hips and closed her eyes, trying to retrace her steps in her mind. Then suddenly her eyes snapped open. “Oh I know!” she exclaimed, almost skipping across to the corner of her room. “I threw the bag behind here,” she said, pulling at a tall corner bookcase, “I was going to go back and get it, but I guess I just forgot.”

“Hey, careful,” Ray rushed to her side before she pulled the entire thing over and covered herself with school text books. He braced himself against the wall and slid the bookcase away, enabling Caoime to reach behind and pick up the bundle which had been there for ten months. She pulled it out and handed it straight to Ray.

“Oh my god,” she half whispered, “there could be, you know, DNA in there. This could be the evidence that sends the guy to jail.” She choked back tears. “Ray,” she said, “I want to give evidence in court. I know you said I didn’t have to because I’m only fourteen, but I want to. I’ll be OK, all I have to do is stand up and tell the jury what happened, it’s not difficult.”

Ray felt an overwhelming sense of pride. Caoimhe was a tough kid and he believed her when she said she’d be able to deal with the court case, but there was no need for her to go through it when she didn’t have to. “You’re gettin’ way ahead of yourself,” he said, “we don’t even have the names of either of the, er, suspects yet, but when it does get to the court case then we’ll talk about it again, OK. It’s not like ya see on TV y’know, lawyers are all bast…er, scumbags and they’ll say stuff that’ll make ya wanna kick ‘em in the head…” he trailed off, not wanting to freak her out too much. He hated court, he hated lawyers, apart from his ex-wife of course, he could never hate Stella, but that was different. Even Stella was like a different person when she was in court. He realised they had a job to do of course, but he would never understand the psychological games lawyers played with the defendants, the witnesses and the members of the jury.

“I realise it’s not like TV Ray,” replied Caoimhe a little indignantly, “but I can do it. I’ll do it for Rosa. I don’t care what stupid lawyers do to try to trip me up, I’ll just stick to the truth.”

“You know somethin’,” said Ray, gently putting his arm around her, “I think Rosa’s lucky to have you on her side.”


	9. Chapter 9

The case was wearing everyone out at the Two Seven, even detectives that were not assigned to the case were lending a hand, after all the victim was one of their own family.

The DNA results from Rosa’s clothing were due back today, everyone was hoping that they’d get a positive match and an arrest could be made. All they had to go on at the moment was a photograph which didn’t prove anything, but at least they had the name of one potential suspect. The DNA evidence could be critical.

Rosa woke from the nap that she’d been ordered to take and she had to admit that she felt better for it. She took a welcome shower and started to make her way downstairs, stopping halfway when she heard her mum talking to Peter.

Maria was sitting in a cosy arm chair cuddling baby Peter in her arms, he was gazing up at her as she spoke to him, “You know Peter, when I had your mama, I was in labour for only a short time, I think that she was in a hurry to get here.” Laughing lightly she continued, “She had lovely dark, wavy hair and the bluest eyes, of course all babies are born with blue eyes.”

Maria looked down at the baby in her arms and smiled, “You look just like Rosa,” she continued, “so beautiful, you are very lucky to have her as your mama, she will be a wonderful one to you. Do you know that you have a huge family, so you won't be short of people to play with.”

Rosa smiled and decided to come into the living room, “Hi Mama, hi Peter, did you miss me?” She kissed him on the head.

Looking at her daughter Maria asked, “You want to take him?”

Curling up on the couch Rosa shook her head, “It's OK, you look comfy there, are you telling Peter tales Mama?” she asked with a glint in her eye. 

Pretending to look and sound shocked, Maria replied, “Me? Would I do that? Would I? Oh no not me Rosa, that must have been Dief that you heard.” They both giggled at that, with Dief giving a soft growl of his own.

Tucking her legs under her some more Rosa sighed very deeply. Looking up, her Mama asked, “What's the matter?”

Biting her lip, Rosa answered, “I have to go to the station later with Uncle Ray to go over some things. They want to ask me some more questions about…you know. Uncle Benny said they’ve identified one of the boys from the party, he could be the one…the boy who did this to me, they have more pictures of him. I don’t want to talk about it anymore though, I don’t want to see any more photos.”

Moving to sit by her daughter while still holding the baby, Maria replied in a soft voice, “Rosa, Uncle Ray will not leave your side and Benny and Ray too if you need them. They love you very much and I will look after Peter for you while you’re there, OK, you have nothing worry about.”

Smiling down at her son with tears in her eyes, Rosa spoke shakily, “I know, it’s just hard. I’ve been thinking and I know it might sound strange, but I feel sorry for the parents, his parents I mean. They have a grandchild they don't know about. Why should they miss out just because their son did a terrible thing?”

Shocked at what her daughter had said, Maria asked Rosa, “What are you saying? Do you want them involved in Peter's life?”

Shrugging her shoulders Rosa picked at the leg of her pants. “I don't know, I just think that it’s not fair, it’s not their fault and Uncle Ray said I can get a restraining order against…him…to stay away. Maybe I could arrange for them just to see Peter, it might be nice for him too, I don’t want him to miss out on part of his family. What if there are health problems we don't know about? You know, like a disease that could be passed down, Peter has a right to know. What do you think is the right thing to do?”

Feeling very confused Maria wasn't sure what to say, but she gave it her best shot. “Rosa, only you know what is right for you and your baby. Maybe talk to a counsellor, they might have better advice on this for you.”

Rubbing the soft hair on her son’s tiny head, Rosa nodded, “OK Mama, I’ll do that.” 

xXx

Detectives Huey and Dewey came back into the interview room. They’d already been talking to Rosa for an hour, trying to get her to remember anything that might help and asking her lots of questions, most of which she couldn’t answer. They’d showed her the file with the photographs of their suspect, Jake Carpenter. They’d been speaking to Caoimhe that morning too and seeing the other photographs had helped her to remember a couple of potentially important things about Carpenter and his friend, but Rosa really had nothing else to offer, she felt so useless. How could she not remember anything? What if they never caught him? 

Now Rosa sat with her Uncle Ray as Jack Huey slapped another file down on the desk. “DNA results,” he explained. Fraser and Ray, who were sitting on the other side of the table both sat up straight. Well Fraser was already sitting up straight of course, but even he sat a little straighter at the prospect of what might be in that file. “OK,” began Huey. He didn’t sound very happy. “Unfortunately it doesn’t match Carpenter,” he sighed. 

“They can’t match it to anyone else we have on file,” added Dewey.

Ray Kowalski immediately leapt out of his chair. “So it’s the other kid,” he said, heading for the door, “Carpenter’s buddy. So let’s get out there and find him.”

“Ray,” Fraser called out to him and Ray stopped in his tracks. “We don’t know that for certain and besides, Lieutenant Welsh will not authorise our involvement in the search, you know that. There are a number of very capable officers engaged in this investigation, including Detectives Huey and Dewy here.”

Ray spun around and saw Rosa with her face buried in her Uncle Ray’s shoulder. He hung his head, he hated that he and Fraser weren’t out there, he felt sure that they could have tracked this guy down by now if only they’d been allowed to work the case. “Hey Rosa,” he said softly, “um, Ben’s right, they’ll catch this guy soon, they’ve got his DNA now, he can’t hide forever.”

“You know we won't let you down,” promised Huey. 

Rosa sniffed through the tears that threatened and replied, “I know you won't, Uncle Ray said you guys are some of the best and Uncle Benny said you can be trusted, so I do, I know I can trust you to do this for me.”

Huey and Dewey glanced at each other, it wasn’t often that they got praise from either of the Rays. They thanked Rosa and promised to call as soon as they had some news. All Rosa wanted now was a cuddle with her son.

xXx

Best friends Jake Carpenter and JJ Rozhenko sat in Jake’s bedroom chatting. “Are we going to go to a party on this weekend? I want some fun,” said JJ.

Tossing a foam basketball into the hoop over his bed, Jake answered, “Me too, when is the next one anyway?”

Looking at his phone JJ replied, “Friday night at Jenny's place, you know that cute redhead who works at the Blue Sugar Bar on the weekends. It’s at her house over on Maitland Avenue.”

Jake nodded, his eyes were smiling wide and cunning. “Oh ya, I know her, but isn’t she kinda old though? She’s gotta be, like, eighteen. Way too old for you buddy!”

“Yeah, but she has a kid sister and her sister has friends…” replied JJ with a wicked glint in his eye.

“OK,” nodded Jake, “So, you got an invite?” he asked, knowing exactly what the answer would be.

As expected JJ shook his head and grinned. 

“That’s never stopped us before though has it buddy,” Jake continued. “We’ll go anyway, it’s been too long since the last one.”

Tossing the ball back, JJ agreed, “Right.”

xXx

Everyone in the Vecchio household seemed to be on edge for the next few days, not able to relax knowing the hunt was in full swing. Huey and Dewey were waiting on a warrant to search Jake’s apartment, but red tape was holding things up much to everyone’s frustration. They’d been to talk to the boy, but he was giving nothing away and had denied even knowing the other boy in the photographs from the party, claiming they only met that night and he’d not seen him since. The two Rays had talked about carrying out their own search of his place anyway, but of course Fraser had guessed what they were up to and had pointed out that if defence lawyers found out about any unauthorised searches, they would immediately call for the case to be thrown out on a technicality. Neither Ray wanted that to happen so they forced themselves to stay out of it. 

Thursday night found Ben and Ray curled up on the couch wrapped in each other’s arms watching TV and chatting. Ray's voice was just above a whisper, “Ben, I have a feelin’ they’re close, I don't know why but I feel like they are gonna get them soon.”

Hugging Ray tighter, Fraser replied, “Your instincts are rarely wrong, Ray, I hope you are correct. We just have to be here for Rosa and her family when it happens, there will be a lot to deal with over the coming months.” 

Leaning back into the hug Ray agreed, “Yeah, we will and I think that Ray will need a lot of our support, he’s still blamin’ himself.”

Sighing deeply Fraser added, “I know and no matter how much you explain that it wasn't his fault, he won't believe you.”

They both knew they would feel the same way in Ray's shoes, but it was still hard to watch a friend struggle like that.

xXx

Francesca decided to do some laundry to keep herself occupied. As she went about the rooms collecting clothes she thought about everything that Rosa had been through. She was as strong as all the Vecchio women, Francesca thought proudly. She decided to sit down and read the diary Caoimhe had given her while she waited for the washing machine cycle to finish. Ray had suggested that there might be a clue in there, something from the time of the party that Caoimhe had forgotten, or considered insignificant. Francesca had learnt a lot since she’d been working at the Two Seven and she felt proud that Ray trusted her to be able to do this important job. She read very carefully, starting a week before the party with the preparations and reading through the events of that night. The poor girls had no idea what happened, she thought to herself as she read Caiomhe’s innocent sounding notes. Of course she’d been worried about her friend getting sick at her party, but it was obvious that neither of them had any clue at the time as to what had gone on.

Francesca read on, through the weeks and months after Rosa had realised she was pregnant. Caoimhe’s steadfast resolve to stand by her friend was clear from her words and a lump formed in Francesca’s throat as she read how scared Caoimhe had been, but equally how determined she was that Rosa would never realise. She had stood by Rosa through some of the darkest days of her friend’s young life. Francesca wished she’d had a friend like Caoimhe when she was growing up. There were so many times when she’d really needed one.

Caoimhe had continued to write her diary while they’d been living in Canada with Ray and Fraser and as Francesca read more of the handwritten entries, a smile spread across her face. She couldn’t quite believe it, Caoimhe had a major crush on Ray Kowalski. How sweet, she thought and she began to feel a little guilty about reading the young girl’s personal thoughts. So far she hadn’t found anything that might have helped the investigation and the days the girls had spent in Canada with Fraser and Ray weren’t going to yield any further clues, but she couldn’t help herself and continued reading anyway. Caoimhe had agreed to let her read the diary though and she must have known Francesca would find these entries, maybe she wanted someone to know, thought Francesca. Perhaps she wants to talk to her about it? They’d become close up in Canada and Francesca felt like a big sister to Rosa’s friend now, so she decided to ask her about it when they had some privacy. 

“You have to hear this Dief,” she said to the half wolf, who was playing her shadow today. “Listen to what Caoimhe wrote about Ray. 'He smiled at me again today, he made my knees wobble. I love his cute dimples and his blonde hair that tickles me when he gives me a hug. Sigh…he knows when I am feeling bad and gives me a hug and tells me how good I am and how lucky Rosa is to have me as a friend. I wish he was my age, or I was his so he could be my boyfriend…but he is gay, what a waste. Maybe if we were the same age I could change his mind, he is so dreamy' .” 

Young love, Frannie giggled to herself. “Poor Caoimhe, having a crush like that is hard and I should know, right Dief?” The animal yapped a response. At least Dief knows how I feel, she thought with a sigh. Standing up she put the book down and went to putting the washing into the dryer. Unfortunately she’d found no information in the diary that would help with the case, just lots of mushy writing about her blonde brother. 

xXx

Friday dawned bright and beautiful and all the kids decided to play out in the back yard while Rosa played with Peter in the living room. There was a knock at the front door.

Maria answered and saw Mrs Murphy standing there holding a box, she welcomed her new friend into her home. “What brings you here Edel?” 

Lifting up the box Edel answered, “I have some things that I thought Rosa might like for Peter.”

Understanding dawned on Maria, this must be stuff meant for the child Edel lost, she realised. “Of course,” she smiled, “they are in the living room, playing.”

Thanking her, Edel made her way inside, stopping momentarily to smile at the happy sight of mother and child before her. 

Rosa looked up to see Edel walk into the room and smiled up at her. “Hi Mrs Murphy,” she said. “How are you?”

Coming to sit on the couch near the pair the Irish lady smiled, “I'm doing well thank you. You and Peter look well.”

Gazing down at her baby who was making wonderful baby sounds, Rosa replied, “We are taking it day by day, but he’s happy and that is all that matters, right.”

Amazed by the young girl’s attitude, Edel spoke around the lump that had formed in her throat, “That is a wonderfully brave and mature way to look at it, I wish I had the same courage at dealing with things as you.”

Rosa looked at her friend’s mother with concerned eyes and asked, “Are you alright?”

Nodding, Edel wiped away a tear that fell. “I'm fine thank you,” she lied, “I brought you some things that you might like for Peter. It's all new, I have never used any of them and I would love for Peter to have them.”

Looking at what she had brought, Rosa was amazed with all the clothes and blankets. Wondering, she asked innocently, “Why have you never used them?”

With a heavy sigh Edel took a deep breath and answered the question, “I lost a baby a few years ago, a boy, we were going to call him Peter, as you can see from the initial on the blankets. You could add a ‘D’ to make Peter’s initials.” This was one of the hardest things she’d ever done, but she wanted to do it for Rosa, she needed to finally move on from her own tragedy. “No one…no one knows, we’ve ever told anyone before, I just couldn’t…but your mother was very kind to me the other day…and now you know too.”

Rosa's heart broke for her, so she stood up and gave the kind woman a warm hug, saying, “I am so sorry, thank you so much for telling me and for giving Peter all of these things, we will treasure them. I’m glad you and my Mama aren’t fighting anymore.”

Brushing Rosa's hair off her face, Edel spoke softly, “You are very welcome, I know that they are in very safe hands with you.”

Peter made some more happy sounds making them laugh. Picking up Peter, Rosa asked, “Would you like to hold him?”

Smiling widely Edel took the baby in her arms and got a smile from him in return. Her voice was wistful as she spoke, “He is very beautiful Rosa.”

xXx

The bullpen kicked off, people everywhere were grabbing coats and warrants plus the photos. The call had just come in, the boys had been spotted at a party across town, Jake Carpenter and another boy who matched the description of the one who was with him at Caoimhe’s party. Fraser and the Ray’s watch Huey and Dewey run out of the door, of course they weren’t allowed to go. Welsh told them not to worry, but that was easier said than done. 

Francesca saw the frustration on their faces and had an idea. “Harding,” she said, sidling up to the gruff Lieutenant, “I really need you to go over a few things in these files before I send them down to archiving,” she began, winking at her brother as she spoke.

Oh Frannie, thought Ray, you’re getting smarter in your old age. He stifled a grin and subtly picked up his coat, catching the other Ray’s eye as he did so. Of course Ray had also figured out exactly what Francesca was doing and he glanced at Fraser. 

Fraser’s face had furrowed into a frown, he couldn’t understand why Francesca had chosen this moment, in the middle of a rather tense operation, to distract Lieutenant Welsh with some rather mundane administrative duties…and why was Ray heading towards the door, they were under strict instructions to stay where they were…and why was Ray looking at him in that rather peculiar way? “Ray…” he began, but Ray put a single finger to his lips to prevent him from talking.

Francesca led Welsh into his office and with a final glance over her shoulder, she shut the door behind her. “Come on,” hissed Ray Kowalski, holstering his gun.

“If you’re suggesting that we should take advantage of this opportunity that Francesca has orchestrated and disobey a direct order by following Detectives Huey and Dewey with the sole intention of becoming involved in the arrest of our suspect and his associate,” began Fraser, “then I…”

“What?” Ray interrupted him, his nostrils flaring as he began to get angry. He loved Ben with all his heart, but sometimes the guy deserved a kick in the head. “Ya think we shouldn’t go? Are ya sayin’ we should just sit around here doin’ nothin’? Is that what you were gonna say?”

Fraser tugged at his left earlobe. “Not at all,” he replied, “I was about to say that I wholeheartedly agree with your suggestion.”

Ray grinned and planted a huge kiss on his lips. “God I love ya,” he said.

“When you two lovebirds have finished,” hissed the other Ray who was standing in the doorway with Diefenbaker. “Come on, before Welsh sees us! It’s my ass on the line here remember, he’s not the boss of you guys anymore.”

Fraser blushed. “Of course, I’m sorry,” he mumbled. He was in casual clothes, blue jeans and a dark green shirt, but of course he still had his Mountie hat with him and he picked it up and placed it squarely on his head as he ran towards the door.

“Yeah, come on,” Ray followed close behind, “Pitter patter.”

Fraser fell into step behind the Rays as they ran across the parking lot to the car. As much as he trusted Huey and Dewey and the other officers from the Twenty Seventh, there was no way Fraser was going to sit back and leave the capture of their prime suspect to anyone else. He was fighting down his emotions, he knew that an emotional Police Officer in a situation like this was dangerous. Then he glanced at the Rays. Oh dear, he thought to himself, he’d never seen two Police Officers more emotionally charged. Perhaps this hadn’t been such a good idea after all?

xXx

The party was in full swing, music blaring, plenty of food and drink and people dancing. No one had noticed Jake and JJ sneaking in and they mingled with the other partygoers with ease, grabbing handfuls of potato chips and nuts and swigging cola from cans. JJ had his eye on one of Jenny’s sister’s friends, she hadn’t seemed to mind when he’d patted her backside the first time. She was wearing hotpants and Jake couldn’t help himself, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. She was pretty and she had a cute smile. He’d made up his mind, he wanted her and he was going to get her. He looked over at his friend Jake and nodded.

Jake sighed, how did his buddy do it every time? Why couldn’t he have some fun for a change? It was always Jake who arranged everything, Jake who got the stuff to put in their drinks, Jake who organised the cover stories and JJ who got the girls. How was that fair, Jake thought as he fished in his pocket for the small, green pill that JJ was waiting for. He subtly brushed past JJ, palming him the pill and briefly chatting to the young girl to distract her while JJ slipped it into her glass of lemonade. JJ gave him a quick thumbs up and Jake walked away, he was starting to wonder if he was being used. Does JJ just hang around with me because he knows I’ll help him? Maybe, thought Jake, maybe JJ thinks I’m some kind of fool? Maybe I am a fool? I’m the only one who wound up with a criminal record after that stupid business last summer, he got away with it all. Suddenly Jake wasn’t having fun anymore.

Jenny happened to be passing the door when she heard a loud knock. She hoped it wasn’t any more guests, her tiny apartment was already heaving with people, half of whom she didn’t even recognise. Jenny couldn’t believe her sister had invited so many people. She was starting to realise things may have got out of hand and she was a little scared, if her Mom ever found out she’d go crazy. Jenny opened the door and she drew a sharp breath when she realised who was standing there. 

“Chicago PD,” said Huey, flashing his badge. “Sorry to disturb you Miss, but we have reason to believe you have two gatecrashers who we’re quite keen to talk to.”

Her hand darted to chest and she gasped, replying, “Gatecrashers? Oh god, please come in.”

Thanking her Huey and Dewey stepped inside and scanned the room where all the guests were dancing and laughing. Almost right away they spotted Jake Carpenter and Huey took a step towards him, but his partner pulled him back. “Eyes on the prize,” Dewey said in his ear. They knew the other kid was there somewhere, he’d been spotted by one of their informants and they didn’t want to lose him now. They already knew from the DNA evidence that Carpenter wasn’t Rosa’s attacker, they had to stay focussed.

Both Rays and Fraser stood by the GTO a safe distance back from the apartment building. They didn’t want to mess anything up and as Huey and Dewey had things under control, Fraser had persuaded both of them to stay out of it. They were there as back up only, ready to make a move only if they were needed. 

Ray Kowalski felt like he was going to explode. “They’d better get those bozos, or I swear I’ll…” but he trailed off as Fraser gave him a warning look.

With a clenched jaw and fist the other Ray agreed, he was doing his best to keep back from it all, but the guy who raped his niece was in there. The guy who’d almost torn his whole family apart and Ray was scared about what he might do if he ever got hold of the bastard.

Inside, Huey and Dewey moved among the partygoers, Jake had already seen them and realised immediately that they were cops. He panicked and tried to slip away out of the back door, but Dewey had posted two uniformed officers out there who stopped the boy in his tracks and dragged him back inside. Dewey pointed at a closed door and Huey nodded and tried the handle, but the door was locked. “Police!” yelled Dewey and kicked in the door. 

Even for two experienced detectives, the sight that met their eyes was a shock. There was a young girl lying unconscious on the bed, one arm dangling lifelessly over the side and her hair plastered all over her face. She was half naked, her hotpants lay in a crumpled heap on the floor and a drinking glass was shattered into pieces beside them. Standing beside the bed, momentarily stunned by the sudden interruption, was their suspect. He was in the process of unbuttoning his fly and the scene of him frozen in that act could have looked hilarious under any other circumstances. 

Sickened, the two detectives drew their guns. “Freeze!” they yelled in unison, but JJ was having none of it. Having regained his senses, he shoved past both of them, knocking Huey off his feet. Dewey hesitated for a second, concerned about his partner, but Huey was already getting to his feet. “Go!” yelled Huey, pointing at their fleeing suspect, running barefoot and fumbling with his buttons as he ran.

Satisfied that Huey was OK and that he would take care of the young victim, Tom Dewey raced after the boy. Huey ran over to the bed and checked the girl’s pulse. It was strong and steady so he grabbed a blanket and covered her with it, careful not to disturb the scene. “Jesus,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head, “if we’d been five minutes later…” he couldn’t bring himself to complete that sentence.

Suddenly, commotion from the apartment building caught the attention of Fraser and the Rays who were still waiting outside. They heard Dewey shouting and then people came running out of the front door, some of them screaming. 

Fraser immediately recognised the suspect, but he had someone with him, it wasn’t Jake Carpenter, it was a girl and he was dragging her away from the building. Dewey was hot on the guy’s tail, his gun still aimed in his direction. Behind them Fraser recognised Carpenter being led out by Officers Smith and Morton. Ray Vecchio sprang up and chased after Dewey and Ray Kowalski ran over to Carpenter. Fraser decided to hang back for a moment, waiting to see what was going to develop. 

Then he heard Dewey’s voice again, this time shouting the word that every Police officer dreaded. “Gun!”

Fraser saw Dewey and Ray fling themselves behind a dumpster for safety.

JJ had pulled a gun, not even Jake knew that he had it. JJ’s voice sounded frantic as his words came out. He held the gun to the young girl’s head, “Back off, or I will shoot her, I swear!”

Fraser stepped out of the shadows. “Son, you need to calm down and think about what you are doing,” he said, his voice as soft and as calm as he could make it.

“No,” Ray Kowalski half whispered to himself, why did the man he loved insist on putting himself in danger at every opportunity? This guy was a rapist, he wasn’t going to hesitate to shoot a cop was he. Ray grabbed Carpenter by the arm and dragged him towards the unfolding scene. “You’re gonna help me, got it?” he hissed in the boy’s face and Jake just nodded. 

With his hands out in front of him in a calming gesture, Fraser was still talking, “You really don't want to hurt her do you son. Let her go.”

Shaking, JJ’s eyes darted between Fraser and the dumpster where he knew two other cops were hiding. He tried to work out what would happen if he shot this stupid guy in the hat, would that be enough of a distraction to give him time to get out of this alley and disappear into the bushes. Then he saw three squad cars pulling up and more armed cops got out. Now he was surrounded, he was terrified, he couldn’t see a way out and he tightened his grip on the girl’s arm, causing her to scream “Shut up!” he yelled at her. Then he yelled at the cops. “Get back!” Of course no one moved. “I said get back! Just him can stay,” he added, nodding to Fraser.

Ray Vecchio slowly peered around the dumpster and looked at Fraser. Fraser gave him a nod and reluctantly Ray and Dewey came out from their hiding place, waving their arms at the others for them to move back.

Ray and Jake Carpenter were now at the entrance to the alley. “What the hell are you doing?” Jake yelled at his friend, at Ray’s command.

“Trying to save our asses!” JJ shouted back.

“By killing a girl?” replied Jake, “Or a cop? This was never part of our plan. Give yourself up you moron!”

JJ’s breathing was becoming rapid and shallow, of course Jake was right, he didn’t want to kill anyone, but he didn’t want to go to jail either and he’d been caught in the act just now, he couldn’t see a way out.

“Your friend is right,” said Fraser, he could see that the seed of doubt had been planted in the boy’s head and he was grateful to Ray for getting Jake to talk to him like that. 

Now the others backed off, letting the Mountie work his magic. He spoke with the boy for a few more minutes and finally JJ released the terrified girl who ran into Fraser’s arms. Quickly he passed her to Officer Morton and took a step closer to JJ. “Thank you,” he said, “now please put the gun down.”

JJ wasn’t sure, he thought maybe he was being tricked. He glanced over at Jake, they’d known each other since kindergarten and suddenly he felt guilty about dragging his buddy into all of this. He couldn’t help himself though, he enjoyed what they did, it was exciting and he needed something exciting in his life and he needed girls, he needed them badly and he couldn’t seem to get a girlfriend, so he had to do it this way. He wasn’t really doing any harm, that’s how he’d always thought of it anyway. He never hurt them, he would never do that, not on purpose. Sometimes when the drugs kicked in they might stumble and hurt themselves when they fell down, but that was just an accident. So if he just explained that to the cops then he’d be OK, he thought. This guy seems to understand, he hasn’t even got his gun out so he must be a good guy, a decent guy, he’ll understand. JJ took a deep breath and slowly bent down, ready to lay his weapon on the floor.

Unfortunately, at that moment, a loud bang coming from the next street startled the young man and in the confusion he squeezed the trigger of his gun, firing in the direction of Fraser and Fraser fell backwards, clutching his shoulder. Both Rays ran towards the Mountie, Ray Kowalski screaming his name in fear and Ray Vecchio cursing up a storm. Dewey ran forward and grabbed JJ with ease as the boy was clearly in shock after what he had just done. 

Fraser carefully pushed himself up to a sitting position helped by both of the Rays. His lover spoke shakily, “Jesus Ben, that stupid sonovabitch, are you OK?”

“He is not OK, he was just goddamn shot!” snapped Ray Vecchio.

Through gritted teeth of pain Fraser replied, “Please, I'll be fine, it's just a scratch. The suspects are in custody that is all that matters.” 

The Rays looked at each other over Fraser’s head and they both rolled their eyes. Typical Fraser, they both thought, always putting others first even when he’d been shot. 

At least now they could tell Rosa that this was nearly over, the boy who had committed such an unthinkable act was going to be charged with that and as many other crimes as they could pin on him and he would be punished for what he’d done.


	10. Chapter 10

“Rosa! Rosa, what are you doing? You can’t just run out like that!” The jury could be back any minute,” Caoimhe raced down the steps of the courthouse towards her friend who was leaning against a tree. It had been a tough few months since Rozhenko and Carpenter had been arrested, but today…finally…the trial was nearly over.

Rosa spun round when she heard Caoimhe’s voice, tears were streaming down her face. “But…but…I can’t take any more…” she sobbed, “what if…what if they say he’s not guilty?”

“They’re going to find him guilty, Rosa,” Caoimhe pulled her friend into a hug, “there’s too much evidence, your lawyer said so. Come on, let’s go back inside, I want to see his face when they take him down.”

Rosa shook her head. “I don’t want… I don’t…” but she couldn’t finish her sentence properly, her breathing had become erratic.

“Rosa, sit down,” Caoimhe was immediately concerned and she made her friend sit down on the steps, taking up a position next to her. “Now breathe slowly,” Caoimhe instructed. 

“I…I can’t!” Rosa gasped.

“Yes you can, you have to,” replied Caoimhe, trying not to let Rosa see how scared she was now, seeing her friend gasping for breath was terrifying. Rosa had held it together all this time, Caoimhe was shocked at her sudden deterioration. She looked over her shoulder hoping that once of Rosa’s uncles would be there, but there was no one, they were on their own. She was the only one who could help Rosa now. “I think you’re hyperventilating, it’s OK, just breathe, you’re going to be OK.” 

Caoimhe smiled encouragingly as Rosa tried desperately to comply. The case had only lasted a few days, the evidence against Rozhenko was overwhelming and his lawyer hadn’t been able to offer much of a defence, particularly after his accomplice, Jake Carpenter, had testified against him. Now everyone was waiting for the jury to return the verdict, but as they waited it had all become too much for Rosa and she’d run out of the building. “Please don’t make me…please…I can’t go back in…” Rosa was still struggling to breathe.

“Rosa, look at me,” said Caoimhe, grasping her by the shoulders. “It’s nearly over, we’re so close, it’s going to be fine, now just breathe slowly.”

Caoimhe was trying her best to stay calm, but inside she couldn’t help feeling pangs of anxiety too. Everyone had told them that no jury could possibly let Rozhenko get away what he’d done, but what if they did? What if they hadn’t understood the evidence properly? No…Caoimhe couldn’t afford to let Rosa see her own fears. “That’s it, that’s good,” she smiled as Rosa finally started to calm down.

Just then Fraser came running out with Diefenbaker at his heels. “Rosa!” he called out, “Dief came to find me, what’s wrong?” The half wolf had seen the girls and gone running in to get help.

“Uncle Benny,” sobbed Rosa and she got to her feet and fell into Fraser’s arms.

Fraser looked with concern at Caoimhe for an explanation. “Panic attack,” Caoimhe said quietly, “she was hyperventilating, but I think she’s OK now.”

Fraser’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Well done,” he said to her. Throughout the duration of the trial, Caoimhe had been a tower of strength for Rosa. There had been a few occasions where she’d really struggled, but had been determined not to let Rosa see. Fraser had seen it though of course and he and Ray had been there to support her when she needed them, particularly Ray, much to Caoimhe’s delight. Fraser had been concentrating his efforts on supporting Rosa, safe in the knowledge that Ray would be able to support her best friend. 

The Mountie had been slightly stunned when Francesca had pointed out, a few weeks ago, that Caoimhe had a crush on Ray. He hadn't seen that at all and it wasn’t often that people were able to conceal such things from him, but Caoimhe was clever, he conceded. It turned out that even Ray himself had a fairly good idea and he was being careful, he didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he was happy to continue to provide friendship and support.

“Are you alright?” Fraser asked Rosa as he gently guided her to sit on the steps again.

“Yes, I think so,” replied Rosa, hesitantly. “I’m sorry,” she added.

“What on earth for?” asked Fraser with a frown.

Rosa shrugged. “I was trying to be strong, but I can’t bear to look at him.”

“You have been so strong, Rosa, you’ve been amazing!” exclaimed Caoimhe, “I’m so proud of you.”

“So am I,” agreed Fraser, “we all are.”

Rosa wasn’t convinced, but she was too exhausted to argue.

“Hey, there you are!” Ray Vecchio appeared at the top of the steps. “Everyone’s looking for you. The jury are on their way back in.”

xXx

The champagne cork made a loud ‘pop’ as Tony finally managed to get it out of the bottle. Fraser had resisted the urge to point out that the technique he was employing was counterproductive and he was actually tightening the cork more than loosening it. 

“Watch the carpet, you moron!” yelled Francesca as champagne fizzed out from the bottle, grabbing a cloth to mop up the liquid before it soaked into her mother’s precious shagpile.

“It’s not my fault,” replied Tony indignantly. Maria was just about to join her sister in berating her husband for his carelessness, when their mother interrupted.

“That’s enough,” exclaimed Ma Vecchio, “we are celebrating, there will be no arguing in this house today.”

Rosa was grateful to her Nonna for trying to keep some sort of order in her home. As soon as the chairman of the jury had read out the word they were all longing to hear…guilty…her family had begun to plan a party to celebrate. All Rosa had wanted to do was to crawl into bed, close her eyes and try to forget. As her Papa started to pour the champagne, she slipped out of the room and headed upstairs, assuming no one had seen her. However, as soon as she went to close her door she realised that there was a half wolf standing there.

“Dief, you scared me!” she exclaimed. Diefenbaker whined apologetically and followed her into her bedroom. Rosa wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his soft fur as tears overwhelmed her again. “This is what I wanted, so why am I so unhappy?” she sobbed. “We’ve waited months for this day, I should be downstairs with my family, but I just want to be alone.” Dief whimpered and Rosa smiled at him. “Not you Dief, I’m glad you’re with me,” she added.

Downstairs she heard a knock at the door and her Uncle Ray’s voice as he opened it. Ray was stunned into silence when he saw who was at the door.

“Detective Vecchio, I’m Alex Rozhenko,” the man extended his hand, but Ray was too shocked to react. “This is my wife, Inga.”

“I know who you are,” Ray had finally collected his thoughts enough to be able to speak. “But…but what are you doing here?” The last people he would have expected to see standing on the doorstep were the parents of the young man who, just hours earlier, had been convicted of raping his teenage niece.

“I’m sorry to turn up unannounced,” said Mr Rozhenko, “but we were afraid that if we telephoned first you would have refused to see us.”

“And you’d have been right,” snapped Ray. He was ready to slam the door in their face, but maybe he’d been spending too much time with Benny lately, because he couldn’t quite bring himself to be so rude. He sighed, trying to calm himself down. He had seen Mrs Rozhenko break down several times during the trial and Mr Rozhenko had been on the verge of tears himself and Ray had felt sorry for them. They seemed like decent people and they couldn’t really be held responsible for the actions of their son, he was an adult after all. “Um, sorry, um, perhaps you should come in…” Ray held the door open and moved aside.

As the couple stepped inside, Maria appeared from the kitchen. “Who was at the door Ray?” she asked, “I’ve made bruschetta…oh my god, what the hell are you people doing in my house!”

“Maria…” Ray put himself physically between his sister and the Rozhenko’s. He wasn’t sure what he thought she might do to them, but she was armed with a plate of bruschetta.

“We should go Alex,” Inga Rozhenko hissed to her husband. “It was a mistake to come here. I told you this would happen.” The woman tugged at her husband’s coat sleeve and tried to back out of the door.

“No,” replied Mr Rozhenko, “we’re here now, you wanted to come and talk to them.”

“You should listen to your wife,” spat Maria.

“We’re not here to cause any trouble, Mrs D’Angelo. I know you’re angry, I do understand,” Alex Rozhenko’s voice was trembling slightly.

“How can you possible understand how I feel?” Maria exploded at him.

“Maria, let the man speak,” urged Ray. He could fully understand his sister’s reaction, but he thought they should at least hear what the couple had to say.

“If it means anything to you, we’re devastated by what our son has done,” continued Alex, “my wife has barely slept since he was arrested, she’s been prescribed anti-depressants…”

“Alex…” Inga Rozhenko broke down. She was so ashamed of her son. She looked Maria straight in the eyes. “I’m sorry…” she sobbed, “I’m so, so sorry…”

Now Maria felt a pang of sympathy for the woman. She was a mother too and Maria thought about how she’d felt when she’d discovered her own daughter had concealed her pregnancy and run away to Canada. She remembered feeling as if the daughter she thought she knew was actually a total stranger. Of course Maria and Rosa had resolved their differences now and these days they were closer than ever and that situation was nothing compared to what Inga Rozhenko must be going through now. The shock of discovering that your son, your little baby, was a serial rapist who had fathered a child with one of his teenage victims must be almost too much for her to comprehend.

Maria gritted her teeth. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said and Ray was able to relax a little. “Look, I realise that you must be going through hell,” Maria continued, “but I’m sorry, I don’t understand why you’ve come here now.”

“We didn’t know,” Mr Rozhenko stated, “we thought he was innocent, we believed everything he said, but he was lying to us. Even when the verdict was read out we thought there’d been a huge miscarriage of justice, we told him we’d appeal immediately, we told him not to give up hope, that we’d never give up fighting to clear his name…and that’s when he finally told us the truth. Until about two hours ago we believed that this was all a terrible mistake, but then he looked me straight in the eye and told me that everything they’d said about him in court was true. I don’t even think he looked very sorry about what he’s done…he’s no son of mine.” Alex looked exhausted after that long speech.

“You’d better come and sit down,” said Ray. Maria was about to protest, but a glare from her brother was enough to silence her.

The rest of the family were stunned to see the Rozhenkos in their living room and Ma Vecchio quickly realised that Michael and little Tony should be removed from the situation, so she enticed them into the kitchen with the promise of baking chocolate pastries.

Fraser and Ray Kowalski also decided they should keep their distance and Ray dragged a reluctant Francesca with him, leaving Rosa’s parents and her Uncle Ray to talk to the Rozhenkos.

“They have some nerve coming here,” hissed Francesca, “I’m surprised Maria hasn’t kicked them both in the head.”

Ray smiled at her used of one of his favourite expressions.

“I couldn’t help overhearing their conversation in the hallway,” said Fraser, hesitantly. Of course the Rozhenkos had been talking privately with Maria and Ray and Fraser wasn’t about to divulge any of the personal details that his sharp hearing had picked up, but he felt that he needed to calm Francesca with an explanation. “I believe that their son has been deceiving them with regards to his guilt until today.”

“Geez,” sighed Ray, “findin’ out your kid’s a rapist isn’t gonna be easy to take in.”

“Indeed,” agreed Fraser, running his tongue over his lower lip. “Unfortunately this young man’s actions have caused a lot of people a lot of pain and heartache.”

In the living room, Maria had calmed down and she was now feeling a huge amount of sympathy for Alex and Inga. Inga had broken down again and was being comforted by her husband. “It wasn’t your fault,” said Maria, “you mustn’t blame yourself.”

“We’d like to do whatever we can to make up for our son’s actions,” explained Alex, “we have money, we’re not rich, but we have savings and we’d like to provide for Rosa and the baby…for our grandson.” His voice cracked as he spoke.

“We can’t take your money,” said Tony, shaking his head, but that earned him a glare from his wife.

“Perhaps Rosa should be the one to decide?” suggested Ray.

Maria thought for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll go and talk to her,” she said and left the room.

Fraser took the opportunity to poke his head around the door. “Can I make any of you some tea or coffee?” he asked, glancing at Ray and raising his eyebrows in an enquiring gesture.

Ray nodded a response, confirming that things were OK. He was grateful to his friend for checking. “I’d love coffee,” he replied.

“Yeah, me too,” added Tony, “and make it strong.” He’d had two glasses of champagne before the Rozhenkos had arrived and now he was regretting it.

“We’re fine, thank you,” smiled Alex.

“With respect, may I suggest some bark tea might be in order,” Fraser nodded to Inga as he spoke, “particularly for your wife.”

Inga tried her best to smile. “Thank you, that’s very thoughtful of you,” she said.

Fraser returned a few minutes later, just as Maria walked back into the room carrying baby Peter in her arms. “Rosa isn’t feeling too well at the moment,” she explained, which wasn’t a total lie, “but she thought you might like to meet Peter…your grandson.”

“Oh,” Inga was overwhelmed as she took the baby into her arms.

Fraser left the tray of drinks on the table and indicated to Ray that he would go upstairs to check on Rosa. Ray nodded, he wanted to go himself, but he felt he should stay with Maria for now.

Francesca and Ray Kowalski were talking to Ma Vecchio in the kitchen, so Fraser went straight upstairs to Rosa’s bedroom. He found her sitting on the bed with Diefenbaker. “I was wondering where you were,” he said to his wolf, “Mrs Vecchio is baking, I’m surprised you haven’t already taken the time to investigate.”

Rosa smiled. “He’s been keeping me company,” she explained.

“I know,” replied Fraser, gently, sitting himself down next to her on the bed. “Your mother mentioned that you were feeling unwell.”

Rosa shook her head, “It's OK Uncle Benny, I'm not sick, just...oh I don't know, I want it all to go away, I want it to be over, but it’s never going to be over is it.”

Fraser frowned with concern. “Events beyond your control have shaped your life and your future Rosa and nothing is ever going to change that,” he began, “but you still have choices. You are still in control, if there's anything you feel you cannot cope with...Peter, for example...”

“No, it’s not Peter, not really,” smiled Rosa, “I love him, Uncle Benny and there was a time when I thought that I couldn’t be a mother...that I didn't want to be his mother...but now I realise that I have been given the most wonderful gift and I wouldn't change that for the world.”

Fraser was reassured by her heartfelt comments. “I imagine you are exhausted,” he said, putting his arm around her shoulders, “and tiredness has a detrimental effect on your anxiety levels. Try to get a good night’s sleep, tomorrow is the beginning of the rest of your life.”

Rosa nodded, she knew her Uncle Benny was right. The panic attack earlier had taken her by surprise, she had never experienced anything like it before, but her head was so full of decisions and feelings and she didn’t know how to prioritise them all. “I feel sorry for Mr and Mrs Rozhenko, but I don't know if I can face them?” she sighed. She really didn't know what to feel about them. 

“It was good of you to let them see Peter,” noted Fraser.

Rosa shrugged. “Mama said he lied to them, their son told them that he was innocent this whole time...” she stopped and collected her thoughts. “It’s not their fault and it’s not Peter’s fault.

Rosa stood up suddenly. “I want to talk to them,” she said with determination. “I want them to know that I don’t blame them.”

“Are you sure?” asked Fraser, following her out of her room. “You don’t have to do this today.”

“Yes I’m sure,” replied Rosa, marching down the stairs at such high speed that Fraser struggled to keep up. They walked into the living room to find Inga Rozhenko bouncing a smiling baby Peter on her knee.

“Rosa!” exclaimed Ray, glancing at Fraser for an explanation. Fraser just shrugged. He wasn’t sure why Rosa had suddenly become so determined to see them now, he felt that perhaps it would have been better for her to wait until she was less tired and had gathered more emotional strength. However, everyone knew how strong Rosa could be.

Rosa spoke confidently to the Rozhenkos and made her family proud of the way she dealt with the situation. It wasn’t long before she was sitting on the floor with Inga, playing with Peter. Fraser left the family alone, joining Francesca and Ray who had gone into the garden.

The Rozhenkos stayed for longer than they’d ever anticipated, but eventually they realised that it was time to leave. “Thank you so much,” said Inga, hugging Rosa as they stood by the front door, “and again…I’m so, so sorry…”

“Please, you don’t need to keep apologising,” smiled Rosa, “I want to put it all behind me now, Peter and I will begin a new chapter in our lives now.”

“If it means anything to you,” added Alex, “Inga and I cannot think of anyone we’d rather have raising our grandson. We can see that you already have a loving family to support you, but if you ever need anything from us, please, you know where we are.”

“Thank you kindly,” beamed Rosa.

“We’re not asking for regular contact,” Inga tried to explain, “we don’t expect that at all.”

Rosa didn’t know what to say to her. They seemed like such nice people, she couldn’t believe that the boy who’d hurt her in such an abhorrent way could really be their son.

Ray could see that she was struggling now and he jumped in. “I’ll walk you to your car,” he said, ushering them towards the door. They said their goodbyes and Ray followed them out of the house.

“Please thank Rosa again for us Detective Vecchio,” said Inga, “I can’t begin to describe how I feel, meeting her and Peter has given us something to live for.”

“Perhaps when things have settled down,” Ray said as Alex pulled his car key from his pocket. “As you can imagine, the last few months haven’t been easy for Rosa, or for any of us. Rosa needs to get back to school and when she starts to feel that her life is more settled, she’ll be able to start thinking more about her future and Peter’s. Of course I can’t speak for her, but I’m sure there will be a space in that future for you.”

“Of course,” replied Alex, nodding profusely, “we completely understand.” He shook hands with Ray and so did his wife.

“We’ll open the trust fund for Peter that we discussed as soon as we can, “ added Inga, “and I will write to Rosa with the details and again…we’re so sorry for what our son has done to your family.”

Ray watched as they drove away and shook his head sadly. JJ Rozhenko had hurt so many people, not just Rosa that night, but out of it all they had Peter and that tiny baby was a ray of light amongst the darkness. 

xXx

The next morning, Caoimhe came to visit Rosa. Her heart skipped a beat when Ray Kowalski opened the door. “Oh…oh hi,” she smiled, “I wasn’t expecting to see you this early in the morning,” she added.

“Hardy har har,” grinned Ray.

“Oh no, I didn’t mean… that is, I just…” Caoimhe stumbled over her words, she honestly hadn’t meant her comment to sound sarcastic, although it was unusual to see Ray up at this hour.

“It’s OK, I was kiddin’,” Ray reassured her. “Peter’s been awake all night. Ben and I have had him in our room for the past three hours so Rosa could, er, get some sleep.”

“Is he OK?” asked Caoimhe with concern as she stepped into the house.

“Ben said he’s probably teethin’,” explained Ray, “nothin’ to worry about. Can I get ya anythin’? Coffee, or, er, Mrs V made some gnocchi with this spinach stuff last night, there’s still leftovers.”

Caoimhe giggled. She really didn’t want spinach gnocchi for breakfast and she rarely drank coffee. “Um, no thanks,” she replied. “I guess I should go if Rosa’s asleep,” she added a little forlornly. “I just wanted to ask her advice.”

“Anythin’ I can help ya with?” asked Ray.

Caoimhe shrugged. “I…I don’t know?” she replied, honestly. “It’s just…well I’ve been thinking about…oh it doesn’t matter.” She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. She’d been hoping to talk to her best friend. She hadn’t had much sleep herself either that night, instead she’d been lying in bed thinking about her future.

“Are ya sure ya don’t wanna talk about anythin’?” Ray pressed her. She seemed troubled and he hated seeing her like that. “Er, or is it, er, girly stuff?” he added with a grin.

Caoimhe blushed harder now. “Oh my god no, it’s nothing like that,” she giggled awkwardly. “It’s…well I’ve kinda come to a decision…a big decision. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, for months really, ever since…well ever since Peter’s birth.”

Ray was puzzled now. “Come on, sit down,” he said, gently leading her towards the sofa. “If ya don’t mind, I’m gonna make more coffee. Are ya sure ya don’t want anythin’? I think Ben squeezed some juice at about two in the mornin’.”

Caoimhe nodded. “Juice would be nice, thank you,” she smiled and Ray headed out to the kitchen. Caoimhe could hear Peter crying now and she could also hear footsteps in the room above. Presumably that was Fraser walking around with him, she thought. She couldn’t believe that Peter was old enough to be teething already. Sometimes the memories of his birth were so clear it felt like only yesterday that he’d been born and yet other times it felt like a lifetime ago, so much had happened since then, from their time in Canada to the trial and finally seeing justice done for Rosa.

Ray walked back in carrying a mug of steaming coffee in one hand and a glass of orange juice in the other. He handed the glass to Caoimhe and then produced a small box of coloured candies from his pocket, shaking a few into his mug. He caught Caoimhe’s disappointed look and rolled his eyes. “Hey, don’t ya give me that look,” he sighed, “Ben gives me that look…”

“Sorry,” replied Caoimhe, “but it’s not very good for you is it.”

Ray laughed. “So are you and Ben ganging up on me now?”

“I just don’t want you to get sick,” shrugged Caoimhe, “I…I care about you, that’s all.” She blushed as she realised she’d said that out loud. She hadn’t meant to lecture him, but she couldn’t bear to think about anything bad happening to Ray, “I don’t want you to be one of my first…um, patients Ray,” she added.

Ray raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Patients?” he repeated. “I’m guessin’ that has somethin’ to do with your, er, big decision, right?”

Caoimhe nodded. “Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to be a teacher, kindergarten or maybe first graders, I love kids,” she started to explain, “but, um, recently I’ve been thinking about something else, I think…oh this probably sounds dumb, but I think I want to be a nurse. I want to help people, I want to help deliver babies and take care of people, but…I don’t know if I’d be any good at it?”

“Caoimhe, you’ll make a great nurse!” exclaimed Ray.

“Really?” Caoimhe said with a gasp.

“Sure,” Ray smiled, “ya were great with Rosa, you’ve taken care of her this whole time and ya already helped deliver a baby.”

Caoimhe blushed, embarrassed at the praise. “I didn’t really help, I just kinda watched.”

“No, ya helped Rosa so much,” insisted Ray, “and ya didn’t throw up after…I did,” admitted Ray. “I figure if ya can deal with all of that, ya can deal with anythin’.”

“So you think I’m making the right decision?” asked Caoimhe, beginning to get excited about her future, “I’ll have to speak to Mr Cooper, the careers guy at school, I might have to do extra study to get on the right college course, what if I can’t keep up?”

“You’ll be fine,” smiled Ray, “and ya know, you’re right, I should drink less coffee. If ya can make big decisions about your career then I can make little ones about, er, what I drink.”

Caoimhe laughed. “Too much caffeine could give you long term health problems,” she began before she could stop herself.

Ray put his arm around her shoulder. “See, you’re already a great nurse,” he laughed. 

Caoimhe closed her eyes and just enjoyed this moment.


	11. Chapter 11

“Have you made all the necessary arrangements now?” Fraser asked Rosa one afternoon.

“Yes, I just have to choose the hymns with Father Behan,” replied Rosa. “I wish you and Ray didn’t have to leave straight after the christening, Uncle Benny,” Rosa hugged Fraser tightly, choking back tears. She’d got so used to having them around that the prospect of them not being there left a gaping hole in her heart. She knew that they needed to return home to Canada eventually and she would be forever grateful to both of them for putting their own lives on hold for her for so many months.

“My superiors have been more than generous so far in allowing me extended leave,” Fraser explained, stroking her hair gently, “but I must return to work now…and we need to return home. You know that I will always love you and Peter and your family like my own family, but my home is not here in Chicago. We will visit as often as we possibly can and you’re welcome to stay with us at any time.”

“I know and I understand,” smiled Rosa, pulling back from his arms, “you don’t belong here, you belong in Canada, I could see that when we were staying up there with you.”

Fraser nodded and smiled.

“I’m going to go and try on my new dress again,” said Rosa, smiling as she headed for the door, “I still can’t believe I’m back into my old size already, I never thought my body would look normal again.” 

Rosa ran off happily to try on her new dress again and Fraser made his way to the kitchen. He found Ray Vecchio sitting at the table holding a now cold mug of coffee. Fraser was concerned to see his best friend’s leg bouncing up and down like a nerve was jumping. Fraser sat down opposite Ray and frowned. “Ray, is everything alright?” he asked.

Green eyes looked up to greet him and Ray gestured with his hand still holding the mug of coffee so it splashed over the table. “Benny, how can Rosa want me as one of Peter’s Godfathers?” he spoke in a questioning voice, “She has you and Ray and Caoimhe as his Godmother. I know things are different now and she got the OK from Father Behan to have all of us, but why me?” 

Fraser felt sorry for his best friend, Ray was still blaming himself for what had happened to Rosa. He reached across the table and steadied Ray’s shaking hand. “Ray, Rosa asked you because she loves and respects you. She looks up to you, you need to stop blaming yourself.”

Ray went to open his mouth to protest, but Fraser held up his hand and stopped him. “Look at it this way, did you blame me for Victoria?”

Shaking his head Ray replied, “No Benny, of course I don’t. You were blindsided by her, it wasn't your fault.”

Ray couldn't believe that Benny had even uttered her name, let alone brought up the subject of Victoria Metcalfe. Even after all this time they hadn’t spoken about her and what happened as much as they should have done, Ray had wanted to so many times, but he knew how much she’d hurt Fraser and he’d been afraid of reminding his friend of such a difficult time in his life. Ray’s eyes narrowed as he tried to gauge his old friend’s thoughts. 

Eventually Ray spoke again, his voice tight with emotion. “Benny, why do I get the feeling you haven't forgiven yourself for what Victoria did?” Now it was Ray’s turn to hold up his hand to stop his friend from speaking. He’d started this now, they should have had this conversation years ago, Ray realised, so he might as well carry on now. “Benny, what happened with Victoria…well it was a very hard time and to be honest, I still don't understand it fully. I don’t think I ever will and I know that you’re going to be confused, probably forever because it made no sense, she had her own agenda and why she did what she did…well, no normal person is ever going to be able to make sense of it all.” Ray paused for breath, he’d wanted to say a lot of this for a long time and now he’d started, it was so much easier than he’d ever imagined. “What I do know is she played you, she played with your heart, she manipulated you and abused your goodness and willingness to help people.”

Fraser's eyes misted over at his friends words as he replied, “You’re right Ray, I haven't forgiven myself and I should.” He held Ray’s hand tighter as he spoke, “I blame myself for everything I did to you and your family. I have said sorry countless times and you have forgiven me. You were blindsided in a different way, by events that were beyond your control. You need to let this go, so you can enjoy watching Peter grow up.”

Sighing deeply a tear fell from Ray's eye as he looked into his friends eyes, with a smile Ray finally spoke, “You're right Benny, I do need to let this go and I will, it’s just letting my heart know what my head knows for real, you know.”

“I understand completely,” smiled Fraser. “I only have my heart to blame for what happened with Victoria. I thought I loved her…I did love her, but…” he trailed off and choked back tears. He hadn’t expected this conversation to go this way, but he had been the one to mention Victoria and her name had just come out, almost without thinking. Maybe he was finally starting to come to terms with what had happened.

“I do think she loved you in a way, Benny and you needed someone to love you, but not in that way,” Ray continued. “What I do think is that Ray Kowalski is that person, he loves you and treats you how you should be treated. It surprises me, but I like the guy, I can't help but like him and I never thought I’d say that, not when I first met him. Everyone can see how much he loves you when he looks at you, it pours out of the guy.”

“You are right about Ray,” Fraser replied with a smile, “He is who I need and I love him.”

Ray slapped his friend on the back. “Good and as much as I hate to say this, take him back to Canada, I can see how much you belong there. From everything Ray has told me, he does too. I will miss you like hell, heck I’ll even miss him, but we will visit and talk on the phone, after all we are best friends…brothers, right?”

Wiping his eyes Fraser smiled as he replied, “Indeed we are.”

XxX

Rosa sat crossed legged on her bed while Caoimhe held Peter. Not taking her eyes off the baby in her arms she asked, “So are you really all ready for the big day? Is Father Behan OK with Peter having so many Godparents?”

Giggling slightly Rosa answered. “When I told him I wanted four he was a bit shocked. He scratched his head and mumbled to himself,” she laughed. “Then he slapped the table and said, 'By Jimminy I think we can do it'!”

Caoimhe was laughing too now. “What does that mean?”

Shaking her head Rosa replied, still laughing , “I have no idea but I guess it means it’s OK.”

“Thank you for asking me to be Peter’s Godmother,” said Caoimhe earnestly. “I hope I can do everything expected of me, I’ve been reading the leaflet Father Behan gave me.”

Rosa smiled. “All that I expect from you is to be there for Peter,” she said, “and you already do that. You’ve done so much for me Caoimhe, I don’t think I’d even be sitting here today if it wasn’t for you.” 

Caoimhe gently lay Peter in his chair and hugged her friend.

xXx

Father Behan sighed as he picked up the phone, this was a call he really didn’t want to make, but his hands were tied. “Hello, may I speak with Rosa, this is Father Behan at St Michael’s.”

Ray Vecchio who had answered the call, replied wondering why the Father was calling, “Hi Father, I'm afraid Rosa is out for a walk with Peter at the moment, can I help at all?”

Disappointed that Rosa wasn't there Father Behan started to explain the situation to Ray, “Raymond, I was hoping Rosa could come in for a meeting this afternoon, it’s about her plans for Peter’s Godparents.”

Ray’s heart sank, he had a bad feeling this would happen. “I thought you were OK with it all.”

Taking a deep breath the priest explained, “Unfortunately it’s not up to me, I thought I could make my own decisions, but a fellow priest has reminded me that if the Bishop becomes aware that I’m allowing Benton and Ray to be Godparents…well, I will most certainly lose my position here and who knows what other punishment could be in store for me. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

Rubbing his face, Ray was reminded of all the reasons why he rarely went to church. “Homophobic crap,” he muttered under his breath. “That sucks Father,” he added, louder so that the priest could hear, “and it’s not right, or fair.”

Father Behan hung his head. “Off the record, Raymond, I agree with you of course and I’m truly sorry. I wish I could change people’s attitudes, but it’s not going to happen overnight. The official position of the Catholic church is quite clear when it comes to same sex couples unfortunately.” 

“OK, I’ll talk to Rosa and we’ll come in this afternoon” sighed Ray, “we’ll be there about four.”

Father Behan replied sadly, “That will be fine Raymond, and again I'm sorry, it’s not my decision. I would like to personally apologise to Benton and Ray, perhaps they could come with you? I do have an idea about how they can still be involved in the ceremony.”

“I'll talk to them,” agreed Ray, no one was going to like this at all. He hung up the phone, he did not like the thought of the conversations that lay ahead of him.

It didn't take long before Ray had them all sitting around the kitchen table. Ray Kowalski joked, “What's this, an intervention or something? You look, er, kinda serious.”

Sitting down heavily Ray Vecchio waved a hand as he spoke, “It's kind of serious, I got a phone call from Father Behan…Rosa, he needs to talk to all of us about Peter’s Godparents.” He glanced at Fraser and realised that his friend knew what was coming next. He went on to explain Father Behan’s position. Once he’d finished, there was silence while they all thought about it.

Rosa was the first to speak. “But…I asked him about this before, he said it made no difference to him.” She was close to tears.

“It’s not his choice to make,” Fraser sighed sadly, “I was afraid this might happen. He has to adhere to the rules, his superiors will not allow him to step outside of the established protocol.”

Ray Kowalski was furious, his face was red. He stood up and exploded. “That's bullcrap! Just because we’re both guys we can't stand like Rosa wants. Father Behan can take the rules and protocol and shove ‘em up his…”

“Ray!” Fraser interrupted him. “Directing your anger towards Father Behan is not going to help. We’ll attend the meeting this afternoon and discuss this idea he mentioned to Ray about involving us somehow.”

Later that day, as they drove to St Michael’s, the conversation continued. “Aside from our relationship status, there is also the fact that neither of us are practicing Catholics,” Fraser pointed out. “That alone would be enough to prevent many priests from allowing us to be Godparents.”

“Religion is dumb,” snapped Ray.

“I don’t exactly go to church very often either,” said the other Ray from the driving seat, “only when Ma guilt trips me…or if I really need to…” he trailed off. He’d had some difficult moments since he’d returned from his undercover mission in Las Vegas and sometimes Father Behan was the only person he felt he could turn to.

Fraser caught his eye in the rear view mirror and immediately understood. Although his grandmother had been a religious woman, he’d never felt the need to practice any organised religion and he was open to many spiritual ideas from a variety of cultures. However, he remembered how he’d gone straight to Father Behan when Victoria had walked back into his life. The feelings he’d supressed for ten years had come surging back and the guilt had overwhelmed him so he’d felt the need, for the first time in his life, to go to confession and it had helped enormously at the time.

“We should cancel the whole thing,” said Ray with a sneer, “d’ya really want Peter to have anythin’ to do with a bunch of homophobes?”

“Please, can we stop this,” Rosa said quietly, she was close to tears.

The three men suddenly felt guilty. “Oh geez Rosa, I’m sorry,” Ray reached out and grabbed her hand. “Forget I said that, OK. This isn’t about us, it’s about you and Peter.”

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

The conversation continued when they were face to face with the Father Behan, who was just as unhappy about the situation as they were. After letting them blow off steam, the priest raised a hand to stop them. “I have a suggestion that might work, it’s a compromise, but I hope you feel it’s acceptable under the circumstances.”

Ray Kowalski folded his arms, still angry at how they were being treated. “And what would that be?” he asked.

Fraser placed a calming hand on Ray's arm, “Sorry Father, please go on.”

Father Behan explained, “Rosa, of course Peter can have your Uncle Ray and young Caoimhe stand as his Godparents, but there is a provision within the Christening service for others to stand as witnesses. This is usually reserved for those who may not be Catholic, for example, but I believe that Benton and Ray can stand in this capacity. There will be less interest from the Bishop in the witnesses and if he does start asking questions, well, I’m fully prepared to explain my reasoning and my strong feelings on the matter and I’ll deal with any consequences. What do you think?” 

Rosa was nervous biting her lip as she looked at them all asking, “I’ll agree to anything, I don’t care what they call you officially, I want you all up there with us as Peter’s family.”

“Father, we wouldn’t want you to get in to any trouble on our behalf,” said Fraser. As much as he wanted to be involved with the Christening, he respected Father Behan and the wonderful work he did in the community and he didn’t want his personal feelings to jeopardise the man’s position within the Church.

“I’m prepared to take the risk,” replied the priest, “I don’t think it will come to that if you’re not Godparents, but if it does I will stand up for you and for what I believe is right.”

Ray Vecchio was still fuming at the way his friends were being treated. What exactly God would object to he couldn’t understand, they were good people and they were in love with each other, what was so wrong with that? The Church would have to learn to embrace the Twenty First Century, or it would die. “And there’s no other way?” he asked, 

Father Behan shook his head. “Not today,” he replied, “but I hope that one day people will look back on this day with shame and wonder what on earth they were thinking. I believe we can move on, we’ve moved on since the middle ages, some of the ancient traditions are abhorrent to us now so I see no reason why things can’t change again, but I can’t change things alone. There are many other priests who have the same hope as me and together we can make a difference, I truly believe that, but it will take time.”

Rosa looked at her three Uncles with pleading eyes. They looked at each other and wordlessly agreed, this was the best thing they could do for Rosa, all she wanted was them to be standing by her side on Peter’s big day.

Fraser took the lead and he spoke, “Rosa, we would be honoured to stand as witnesses.”

Later that evening Ray still hadn’t calmed down. “I'm not doing it Ben,” he said as he paced the floor, “You can do it if you want , but I’m gonna have to say sorry to Rosa, I just can't. It feels like we’re compromising our principles, like we’re, er, forgetting who we are.”

“Ray, you and I will still be demonstrating our commitment to Peter’s upbringing,” replied Fraser, “I for one am prepared to forego the title of Godfather if it means we can at least do that. Father Behan is taking a huge risk allowing us to be witnesses, the least we can do is show him some respect for that and accept the roles he has offered us. Besides, I am not doing it without you.”

Ray nodded and sighed. Just then Rosa walked into the room. “Hey Rosa,” smiled Ray.

“Hi,” replied Rosa quietly. “I just wanted to say that I’d understand if you wanted to stay away from the Christening. Why does the Church do this? Can they not see that love is love?”

Fraser placed a gentle hand on her arm. “I wish it was as simple as that,” he said, “but we will not allow anyone’s outdated discriminatory attitudes to stop us from being there with you. Isn’t that right Ray?”

Ray swallowed hard, Ben was so good at making him feel guilty. “Sure,” he smiled eventually, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Rosa sighed with relief. She realised it was a compromise and it was not what any of them wanted officially, but she just wanted them there, they were two of the most important people in her life. “The Church has a lot of growing up to do,” she sighed, “I hope that day will come soon, but for now this will have to do.” 

xXx

Peter was sleeping soundly after his feed so Fraser told Rosa to go have fun with her friend to take a break from the madness of the house and hang out with Caoimhe at her house for a change.

Edel greeted her as soon as she saw her sitting with her daughter in the kitchen “Hi, girls. Rosa you’re looking well and thank you for the invitation, I’d be delighted to go to Peter’s Christening.”

Smiling at the kind woman Rosa replied, “You’re welcome and thank you. Oh Peter loves the blanket, he won't settle without it now.”

That warmed Edel's heart and made her choke up slightly as she spoke, “Really? I am glad that it’s finally getting some use.” 

Sitting on a chair next to her friend’s mum, Rosa sighed, “Ya it will help when I go back to school, Mama said I can go back if I want to, and I do, I want what's best for my son. I’ve already got used to leaving him for a couple of hours while I volunteer at the animal sanctuary, of course I miss him but it’s been good to start getting my life back to normal. It's going to be hard finding daycare for him though now that Mama is going to be working soon. I know she was pleased to get offered that job and I wouldn’t dream of holding her back, but Nonna can’t cope with Peter as well as little Tony.”

Listening to Rosa, Edel nodded in understanding, “I do know what you mean and how you feel. Have you tried the Community Centre daycare place?”

Sipping her drink Rosa continued, “I have thought about it, but I don't know anyone there and I kinda want someone I know looking after Peter.” 

Rosa noticed a look that came over the woman’s face so she asked, “Is everything OK?”

Smiling at the young girl, Edel replied, “Yes Rosa, it’s just I’ve been offered a job at that daycare centre. I applied last week, but I didn’t expect to hear from them so soon. I thought I was ready to go back to working with children, but now I’m not sure, I haven’t given them an answer yet.” 

Covering Edel's hand Rosa beamed, “I think you are ready, look how natural you are with Peter, how good he settled in your arms. You’re meant to work with kids and if you accept the job, I would feel better knowing you’re there looking after my baby, someone I trust.”

Tears filled Edel's eyes as she responded to what Rosa said, “You mean that?” She thought for a moment, she’d already made up her mind to call tomorrow and decline the job offer, she really wasn’t sure if it had been such a good idea to apply in the first place, maybe it was still too soon she wondered. She and her husband had been having counselling for a few months to cope with the loss of their baby and their family life had improved so much recently, but was this a step too far? Although now Rosa was being so positive about it and if baby Peter would be there, she felt somehow that he would give her strength. 

Nodding and still smiling Rosa said, “I sure do, go for it I say.”

Edel smiled back and said, “If you think I can do it Rosa, then I’ll call them now and accept the job.”

xXx

The day of the Christening dawned. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky and the Vecchio house was a mad house. People were running everywhere, grabbing showers, ironing clothes, arguing over food and searching for lost shoes. 

Everyone but Rosa was crazy.

Rosa sat on the rocking chair with her baby when Ray Vecchio came in. Looking up as he entered the room, she smiled, “Hi Uncle Ray.”

Sitting next to her he smiled back, “How are you doing honey, you nervous about today?”

Rocking back and forth Rosa answered, “A little I guess, I am happy that Father Behan was still able to include Uncle Ben and Uncle Ray in the ceremony, even if they can’t officially be Peter’s Godparents and I’m sorry I was angry with him before. I really don’t want him to get into trouble because of me.”

Nodding, Ray added, “He’s a good guy, he’s trying to change things, but he’s just one priest. If word had got back to the bishop he’d have been in all kinds of trouble. I really think things will change one day, we just need more people like him in the Church, but it’s going to take time.”

Rosa nodded and there was a moment’s silence between them as they contemplated the future. Eventually the silence was broken by Ray. “Are the Rozhenkos coming today?”

Handing Peter over to her Uncle, Rosa smiled as she answered. “They are and I am very happy about that, they even gave Peter a Christening bracelet that has been in their family for generations.”

Without taking his eyes off the baby, Ray replied, “That was very nice of them, you know I envy your braveness with letting them in, you’re stronger then I could ever be.”

Shocked at what her Uncle had said, Rosa spoke in a voice that matched, “I’m not stronger than you, you’re a Detective, you face bad guys every day.”

Ray stood up and handed Peter back to her. “I still could never have coped with what you have, I am so proud of you,” he said, kissing her on the top of the head.

Ray left the room and Rosa finally had a few moments alone to finish dressing Peter. As she was putting his little booties on her mother came into the room, “Hi Rosa, sweetheart, you all set?”

Looking up at her mother Rosa smiled, “Hi Mama.”

Coming over to Peter, Maria asked, “Oh, is this the Christening outfit that Benton gave you? It’s so beautiful.”

Fixing the dress Rosa answered, “Yes, it’s Uncle Benny's, he said his grandmother made it for him, isn't it beautiful, so unusual.”

Looking at the pretty patterns she could clearly see the love and care that went into making it. Smiling now, Maria nodded, “It's perfect.”

Picking up Peter, Rosa followed her mother so they could head to the church together.

The ceremony was beautiful, there were even a few funny moments. At one point Ray Kowalski joked with Father Behan, “Geez Father, you’re gonna drown the baby with all that water.” After that crack, everyone laughed so hard that Tony stumbled, knocking over two potted plants and sending them crashing to the floor. All the kids took that as an excuse to start running around the church. All Rosa could do was laugh, her baby was getting a day full of funny stories and not just the normal boring church stuff, she thought to herself. 

After the service, Ray Vecchio had hired a huge gazebo and put it in the back yard. He and Francesca had stayed up half the night and decorated it beautifully with fairy lights, table confetti and they even had a chocolate fountain. Nothing was spared for his niece, this would be a perfect day for her and Peter even if it had nearly killed him.

As Ma Vecchio and Maria were bringing out plates of food, Fraser and Ray took delivery of the cake. Fraser thanked the delivery driver and carried the huge box to a side table. He lifted the lid and Ray was shocked to see all of the colour drain from his face. “What is it Ben?” he asked with concern.

Fraser’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound came out. His face quickly regained its colour though and then some…soon he was as red as his Mountie uniform. Ray peered into the box and burst out laughing. They had the wrong cake, instead of the beautiful Christening cake Rosa had ordered, they had one that someone had ordered for a bachelorette party instead. 

“Ray…it’s not funny,” hissed Fraser. “It’s…it’s…” he began to see the funny side, “well it’s anatomically correct, which must have taken some fine cakecrafting skills, I must admit.”

“Sure is!” laughed Ray, but Fraser still wasn’t laughing. “Oh c’mon Ben, it’s not like ya haven’t seen one before…” Ray winked.

“Not in cake form,” Fraser pointed out, scratching at his left eyebrow with his thumbnail.

“Look, relax, we’ll call them and get the right cake sent over,” said Ray, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Rosa need never know.”

The bakery apologised for the mix up and the right cake arrived in plenty of time. The day was certainly one to remember, Caoimhe took hundreds of photographs and Mr Murphy captured the entire day on his new video camera. 

xXx

After the excitement of the Christening came the day that Rosa had been dreading, Fraser and Ray had to return home to Canada.

Standing at the departures gate at the airport, Rosa and Caoimhe couldn't stop the tears that fell. In a shaky voice Rosa spoke, “Do you have to leave?”

Nodding, Fraser held Rosa, “I'm afraid so, we have to go back to work and back to our home. We will always be at the end of the telephone for you and you can come to us any time you want.”

Caoimhe couldn't help crying as well as she would miss them like her own family. She nearly fainted when Ray gave her a hug speaking softly as he did. “Don't cry Caoimhe, we’ll be back and I’m sure that you’ll come visit with Rosa. You’re family now, Godmammy, huh,” he grinned, “and if ya ever want to talk about anythin’, you just call, OK?”

Wiping her eyes Caoimhe gave a shaky smile. “You mean that? I can really call you? And we can come visit?”

Patting her shoulder, Ray replied, “Of course. Now you look after those two for us, won't ya.”

Standing taller she answered with confidence, “You can count on me.”

Ray glanced at Fraser who nodded his agreement. Caoimhe would take care of Rosa and Peter, they could be sure of that. 

Fraser turned to Ray Vecchio and surprised him with a hug. “I’m going to miss you Ray,” he said.

“Hey, don’t get all mushy!” exclaimed Ray, of course he didn’t mean it at all. “I’m going to miss you too Benny,” he added, “but you need to get home, Chicago is driving you crazy…well, crazier than usual. I’ll come visit as soon as I can get some time off.”

“I’m looking forward to it already,” replied Fraser. 

With final hugs and goodbyes with the rest of the family, Fraser and Ray made their way to catch their flight. They didn’t know what lay ahead for Rosa, they knew she would face many challenges, but they were convinced that with the help of her extended family and friends, she could cope with whatever life had in store for her and her son. 

 

The End.


End file.
